Out There!
by AlmineGoneWild
Summary: My name's Bunny D. Allen. Ever since I was small, I've had such an innate curiosity for the world that it's led me into things that would seem unbefitting of a World Noble's daughter. So when it came down to living a life of lies and being myself, I decided to follow in the footsteps of my Grandparents and seek out mystery and adventure. It's a good thing my brother's here to help!
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

* * *

 _Trapped! We were trapped within the flames as they rose higher and higher in the air, letting smoke muck up the sky making it unbreathable. We'd been lucky to find that strange man when we had; now we didn't have to worry about anybody else. However, we'd gone back to search for his brothers to make sure they were okay but now we were trapped within the blaze; searching desperately for a way out; any glimmer of hope._

 _We'd had to abandon my idea for breathing – two glass helmets that usually adorned the heads of world nobles – when we realized our brains would be cooked if we stayed in the heated glass. So now we'd switched to wet rags to keep from inhaling smoke. I looked around frightened but with a sense of duty and determination in my eyes. I refused to die like this when my life had barely started. I wanted my freedom and I sure as hell was gonna get it._

 _"_ _Damn it, there's nowhere to go from here!" groaned the boy beside me with annoyance. "We should've headed to the forest first. At least in there the trees' foliage would block out the smoke and I'd know where we're going!"_

 _The boy I was currently with was ten years old; five years older than I was. He wore a black open neck shirt under a blue jacket that had the sleeves rolled up and sporting a cravat from his shirt's neckline. He wore blue shorts for bottoms with a belt that had a flower design buckle representing his noble family and blood. On his head over his short curly blonde hair he had on a top hat that also usually sported a pair of blue goggles around the brim except now he was wearing them to keep the heat from tearing up his eyes. His face was covered in bandages from minor cuts and he was missing a tooth on the right side of his mouth. This was the appearance of my newfound acquaintance, Sabo. I coughed some to clear my dry throat._

 _"_ _Maybe…'cough', 'cough'…maybe my compass can show us a way out of here," I suggested hopefully. I turned my attention to the golden compass hanging from around my neck. It wasn't a normal compass mind you. No it was a special compass that showed one to their heart's desire. The compass itself held its own spirit and consciousness and was known around the world as a mystic. It was a forbidden treasure that if it was sought after and the wrong people found out about it, then the seeker would be executed for treason against the world government. They were pretty much just as forbidden as the poneglyphs scattered around the world; stone tablets that bore writing from a lost era and could only be translated by people who'd studied them._

 _I pulled it up, the circular device with the intricate designs and writing all around its outside reflecting the flames that surrounded us. Once I opened it I began to pour my aura into the mechanism the way my grandfather had taught me and it responds instantly, the needle spinning rapidly around in circles. Finally it settles on a direction and the images fill my head with where we need to go. I looked up towards the direction._

 _"_ _This way!" I called out to Sabo. Despite us barely knowing one another and him being older than myself; he trusted my judgement and so he followed me elsewhere from where we just were. I followed the path as best I could; the simplest route switching every now and again to make sure we avoided the flames. It took a while but we finally made it to the trees and burst forth, running from the fires that threatened to consume us._


	2. AI:SI The Cruise Ship

_**Act I: Scene I**_

 _ **The Cruise Ship**_

* * *

"(Sigh) it sure is a gorgeous day to be on the sea," I sighed, glancing up at the passing seagulls and shielding my eyes to block out the sun. The boy with whom I shared the small boat chortled gleefully.

"Yeah, perfect for starting our journey and setting out to find a crew!" he exclaimed. I nodded with a smile. The boy who sat at the front of the boat is named Monkey D. Luffy; he's my older brother by two years. Well technically, we aren't related by blood but we did exchange sake once to make it official although instead of him, Ace and Sabo gaining another brother, they got a little sister.

My name's Bunny D. Allen. Ever since I faked my death I've changed my name knowing full well my parents will have burned my birth certificate by now. My old name used to be super long and formal – in my opinion stupid – so my grandparents gave me a shortened nickname whenever I visited them and called me Allen so I guess the name kind of stuck with me. Of course I'll accept the nickname Al too but other than that, I'm good here.

At this moment, we are out on the open ocean having left Dawn Island and our home behind and by home I mean the mountain bandit shack and Windmill Village we spent the past few years growing up in. Now Luffy's seventeen and I'm fourteen going on fifteen shortly and we've now set forth to become the freest people in the world. Of course neither of us knows how to navigate so we're actually just wandering for now until we find somewhere to start. Suddenly, my brother calls to me.

"Hey Al," he says. "What kind of people do you think we should have in our crew?" he wondered. I sat back and thought about it.

"Hm…well anyone we find will have to be strong not just in body but in mind and spirit. If they can't have their own dreams then that would be boring and they might not stick with us too long." Luffy nodded only half listening however I still went on. "We should get a swordsman, those are always cool but it can't just be any swordsman, he has to be the best for the king of the pirates."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Ooh, what about a musician?" he asked.

"One that can play any instrument or just one?" I sent back.

"Any, duh; just one would be boring and he should be a good fighter too!" I nodded knowing full well that our journey was going to have its fair share of dangers other than the marines and other pirates. I thought more.

"Well we can't really read a map so we'll need a navigator or else we'll get lost. Whoever it is should also have some kind of skill as well!" Luffy grinned.

"Right and we'll need an awesome cook who can make the best food ever!" I grinned in agreement.

"Don't forget, we'll need a great ship too! Something that'll be totally unique and then we should probably get someone who can keep her in ship shape. Ooh, how about an archeologist?"

"What's that?"

"A person who study's this world's history. I need someone who can help me find the rest of these magical artifacts like what grandma and grandpa gave me." Luffy nodded as though he were thinking it through like someone who actually thinks. I found myself giggling at his attempt.

"Yeah then we're also gonna need…a sniper like what Shanks had on his crew!" I raised an eyebrow.

"Ya mean like that guy Yasopp you told me about?" he nodded. "Now that ya mention it didn't he use to tell you that he had a kid your age? Maybe we could find him and ask him to join?" I suggested.

"Hey great idea!" exclaimed Luffy. "Maybe he'll be an even better one than his dad." He giggled some and I nodded again.

"Yeah oh and we should also get a doctor so if we get hurt fighting stronger opponents out there then at least we'll be able to have someone to patch us up. He should know how to fight too!"

"Okay yeah! That would make like…" he counted on his fingers. "…ten people total right?" I shrugged.

"I guess. But who says we have to stop at ten? I say that if we find and make friends who want to join anyway we should let them."

"Sure," Luffy said absent mindedly. "Man I can't wait!" he shouted standing up and almost capsizing us.

"Hey!" I shouted out angrily. "Stop that you idiot, have you forgotten that both of us are anchors out here? If we hit the water neither one of us can swim and save the other so quit rockin' the boat!" Luffy did as I yelled to him though with a grumpy disposition.

"Fine, ya don't hafta get so mad," he pouted. I shook my head. I knew that I myself wasn't too bright since I'd been raised in a society that looked down upon what we were doing and granted I'd left while still a child but even I couldn't afford not to keep my wits about me, however little there were. True I overreacted sometimes or charged into danger without realizing it then not overly cared about it but I could still use my brain to think and that made up for Luffy's excuse that thinking hard or at all hurt too much. I rolled my eyes at his back as he leaned out over the front and I sat back enjoying the rays of the sun. However, I was soon alerted to danger as my compass started vibrating and sending me warning signals only I could perceive.

"Huh?" I wondered then reached down and opened it. The needle was spinning frantically to get my attention and once I was aware of that it began slowing down until it rested on a symbol that represented a whirlpool. I felt a sinking feeling. Suddenly I noticed a change in the currents surrounding us.

"Please don't tell me," I groaned as I leaned out to look up ahead of us. I saw it as we drew closer and couldn't help the scream that escaped my throat.

"Gyah! Luffy how the hell could you have sailed us into the path of a whirlpool!?" I yelled at the top of my lungs. However, the snoring figure in front of me caused me to panic more. "No! This isn't the time to fall asleep you asshole! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! God Damn Narcolepsy!" I finally managed to wake him after another bonk to the noggin.

"Hm, what's going on?" he wondered sleepily. I screamed at him pointing.

"What do you think dummy!? We've just been caught in a giant ass whirlpool. How the hell are we gonna get outta this one?!" He looked around noticing the whirlpool for the first time.

"Oh crap! How'd we get trapped in a whirlpool!?" he yelled in a panic.

"How do ya think Moron!?" I shouted above the roar of the whirlpool as we got closer to its center. "We're gonna die and we've barely even started," I whined. "Ace and Sabo are gonna kill us if they find out you got us killed on our first day!" Luffy had suddenly become happy again and calm.

"Eh don't worry about it, I've got an idea," he said.

"Really, cuz I'd love to know," I said sarcastically. He suddenly pointed to the barrel in our boat.

"We'll hide in here!" he stated simply. I held my head in a panic.

"What!? But that's our food supply!" Luffy blinked.

"I thought it was only lunch," he stated. I yelled in frustration.

"Gah, my brother's an idiot! You ate all that already!? We were supposed to share!"

"Sorry," he apologized. All the while the whirlpool kept swirling us around. I finally sighed.

"No it's fine. We'll go with your plan," I stated. He grinned and pried the top open and got in. I looked in questioningly. "Um, how am I supposed to fit?" I wondered. He frowned up at me.

"Well duh; turn into a bunny!"

"Oh, right," I said stating the obvious. I quickly allowed my body to transform into one of its states and climbed into the barrel with Luffy. He pulled the top back on tightly and rocked us till we were out of the doomed row boat and in the whirlpool. I curled up praying we'd be alright. Finally, it seemed as though the roaring whirlpool had stopped and we were just floating gently along in the water. I wondered how long we'd be trapped like this as I heard a snore. I felt an annoyed tic mark appear on my forehead.

"He fell asleep…again. (Pause) Damn Narcoleptic idiot!" I growled. Suddenly I felt the barrel knock up against something solid. At first I wondered if it was land. However, I heard shouts from far above me.

"Hey! There's something in the water!" someone called. So it was a ship, I acknowledged.

"It's a barrel!" exclaimed his friend.

"I wonder what's inside?" the first one said again. There was a pause before the second guy spoke again.

"Here, try and haul it up with this. We'll open it ourselves!" he proclaimed. _Oh won't he get a surprise,_ I thought to myself as I began listening to the whooshing of something in the air and a few splashes. I couldn't help but think that whoever was throwing the hook obviously sucked at aiming. After another splash his friend laughed.

"Ugh, I missed again!" the first man complained.

"Strike three pal!" he called. I thought I heard another voice but I couldn't exactly hear it over Luffy's snoring. Finally after a while I heard the hook latching onto the side of our barrel and soon we were being pulled up out of the water.

"Ugh, it's heavier than I thought it'd be," exclaimed the first man.

"Hey, I'm not that heavy!" I exclaimed forgetting to be quiet. The men had been shocked and now as they held the barrel sideways they seemed unsure of what to do.

"Um, did the barrel just talk?" asked the second man.

"Don't be ridiculous," his friend berated him. "It's probably…just a trick of the heat," he tried to reason. _Or maybe there are two people inside and one's a bunny,_ I mentally glowered. _These guys are dense._ However, they never got the chance to find out anything as another man called out with a touch of fear in his voice.

"Ship off the starboard bow!" he shouted. "And they're flying a pirate flag; we've got a pirate ship in pursuit!" The men holding our barrel immediately dropped us – none too gently I might add – and went about panicking so I was able to discern two facts. Fact A; this wasn't a pirate ship because it was being attacked by pirates and fact B; it couldn't be the marines because they wouldn't be this pathetic would they? Even East Blue Marines had higher standards.

Suddenly I heard the whistling of something through the air and the sound of cannon balls impacting the water nearby. The ship began to pitch about violently and I tried to shake Luffy awake.

"Hey rubber for brains, let's go already," I hissed. However, the barrel began rolling as the ship began to rock and before I knew it we were falling down some stairs; my head hitting the sides of the barrel with every hit and me crying out at each one.

Finally we landed but we kept rolling, all the while Luffy remained asleep and I cursed his narcoleptic genes once more. Eventually we slammed hard into something and went spinning then rolling until we crashed into something and knocked it over. I thought I distinctly heard the panicked screams of the passengers and more cannon fire but my head was spinning too much to concentrate on anything. The only thing I was grateful for was the fact that Luffy was rubber and it didn't hurt to bump into him on the way down. I suppose things could've been worse; after all, we could've drowned in a whirlpool not even twenty minutes ago.

The distant sounds of the attacking pirates came up closer as they boarded the ship and as I tried to sit up, I had to keep my carrots from spilling all over the place. Actually my grandparents taught me that most bunnies would get sick and die because of the high sugar content in carrots but then again, I wasn't a regular bunny and I'd literally eaten those before we'd left this morning. I held a paw to my mouth and went over to try and loosen the top off the barrel but it was stuck tight. Damn Luffy and his unnatural strength not that my nausea was any help. I got on my back and began to beat the lid with my bunny feet but it still wouldn't budge. However as I kept trying, a timid voice from the doorway stopped me in my tracks.

"H-hello?" it called out. Judging by the sound; male around the age of maybe eleven or twelve. Then again it's hard to tell that from inside a barrel. "I r-really hope there's nobody in here," he continued. I heard him approach us. "Wow, that's one big barrel," he stated.

"Ya don't say," I said sarcastically. The boy yelped and I sensed him leaping away from the barrel.

"W-who's there?" he asked shakily. I sighed as I realized that thought had been out loud. Better to get this over with now.

"Hey kid," I said. "I'm in the barrel."

"You're in the barrel?" he asked. "Why're you in the barrel?" he wondered.

"It's a long story," I groaned. "Let's just say we were trying to escape a whirlpool and this was our only option."

"What, you mean that big whirlpool outside? But nobody could've survived that!" he exclaimed. I chuckled dryly.

"Yeah well I guess that makes us the lucky ones doesn't it?" I said sarcastically.

"Wait, you said us," he noticed. "Does that mean there are two of you in there?" I nodded then replied.

"Yup, the only difference is this lazy asshole's sleeping through everything. So anyways kid, do ya mind getting the top open for me. There's only so much of this barrel I can take…literally and it'd feel much better to stretch my legs after all of this time." There was a pause outside of the barrel before I felt it being rolled away from wherever we'd been.

"Okay, I guess I can try but I'm not that strong so sorry if it takes a while," he apologized. I rolled my eyes in the dark.

"Yeah, yeah, I won't care once I'm outta this thing," I replied.

"Okay," he said. Suddenly however, there were more footsteps and a new gruff voice spoke up within the room.

"Well if it ain't our favourite coward," one of the men sneered. "Tryin ta hide in here n' duck out on all the action?" the boy tried to cover for himself.

"Wha…no I was uh…I was just tryin'a haul this big barrel of beer over to you guys!" he exclaimed suddenly. I sighed and face padded (ya know since I have bunny paws and pads instead of hands and palms at the moment). Had he already forgotten I was in here? Now these idiots were in for a surprise when they tried to get themselves a drink. Suddenly I felt the barrel being tilted up onto its base. I was just glad we weren't upside down.

"Well then how's about we lighten your load?" the man suggested. Suddenly the boy was frantic and I could sense the air being whirled about as he waved his hands in denial.

"Wait, you can't do that!" he cried. "Lady Alvida will kill us if she ever found out!" I heard as the other guys laughed.

"She won't find out so long as you keep your trap shut. Right kid?" another man growled immediately intimidating the kid. I sighed. Honestly, the idiots didn't even think that well did they? If we were booze then they'd be under some kind of influence by the time they made it back to their captain and whoever it was would probably not be too stupid as to let it slide.

"Hang on fellas," spoke the first man from before. "Lemme open this the old fashioned way!" I had a bad feeling about that so I turned back to Luffy and started to try and think of a way to wake him without drawing attention to ourselves but I didn't need to bother. No sooner than I had a plan forming than he suddenly jumped up breaking the top of the barrel off completely and socking the guy who'd been about to break it open on the jaw. The downfall was I went flying out of the barrel and I bonked heads with another one of them while screaming from surprise at my flight. Meanwhile, Luffy proclaimed loudly that he'd had a good sleep. As I dropped to the floor, my whole world was spinning and pitching threatening to make me sick.

Meanwhile, I could somewhat make out that Luffy had truly freaked everybody out by the entrance or in our case the exit he'd made. The man who'd tried to open the barrel had been knocked out when Luffy had emerged and the guy I'd been thrown at was seeing stars. Meanwhile there was another guy so three in total and the little boy I'd heard earlier with pink hair now that I could see it was cowering some and staying back from the strange new anomaly as he introduced himself to the guy who asked. My head just swirled around.

Finally, my head started to clear up as the man I'd hit had cleared his and he and his partner grabbed their friend and dragged him out of the room quicker than one could bat an eyelash.

"So…what just happened?" the pink haired boy asked. "Nng; where's the girl I heard earlier?" he wondered. Luffy just stared after them as I readied myself.

"Ya got me," he said uncaring. It was here that I sent my bunny body flying at him like a projectile hitting him with my bigger feet hard enough that although his body was rubber he still felt something however minor it was.

"YOU JACKASS!" I screamed at him. "NEXT TIME DON'T JUST FALL ASLEEP!" Luffy went flying face first into the wall. Meanwhile the pink haired boy stared at me incredulously, eyes wide.

"You're a…a…a…" I turned to him and stared for a moment before breaking out into a smile.

"A bunny?" I finished his sentence for him. He nodded slowly as though he just couldn't believe what'd just happened and that he wasn't going crazy. We heard a muffled voice and turned to watch as Luffy finally pulled himself free of the wood. He turned to me angrily and pointed an accusatory finger.

"DAMN IT AL, WHY'D YOU KICK ME!?" he demanded to know just as loudly as I'd been with him. I turned away from him indignantly.

"Because you deserved it," I stated simply.

"WHAT!?" he demanded. I turned back to him with an annoyed look before I transformed into my human form further freaking out the pink headed boy.

"I said you deserved it," I repeated placing a hand on my hip as I leaned forward and jutted it out as I shifted my weight. "If you hadn't gotten us stuck in that whirlpool none of this would've happened. Then you had the nerve to just fall asleep while we were escaping. Did you not even stop to think about what if we lost our air? We still could've drowned, especially if the stupid thing filled up with water. Then where would we be?" I demanded. He stood up straighter and began scratching the back of his head as he gave me an apologetic look.

"Well sorry, it's not my fault that I'm a narclops!" I rolled my eyes at him.

"It's 'Narcoleptic', honestly how hard is that to remember?" I demanded. He just shrugged.

"Quick; you've gotta run!" shouted the pink haired boy suddenly getting our attention. "If those guys come back with their buddies then they'll kill you both on the spot!" Luffy just smiled at him and laughed.

"I don't care about that, I'm hungry," he stated simply. The pink haired boy was shocked.

"How can you just blow this off like that?!" the boy demanded. I shrugged.

"Sorry, my brother's got a one track mind. He's always thinking with his stomach first. Besides I'd love to see those losers try it," I grinned. "We're stronger than they could ever be." The boy was even more shocked.

"What!?" he demanded as Luffy decided to wander off to find food. "How can you say that? Do you have any idea whose attacking this ship?"

"Pirates?" I shrugged. "Who cares? We're pirates too." His mouth fell open in shock once more and I wondered if this boy had some kind of button to start up an anxiety attack. I laughed at the thought and ruffled his hair as Luffy made his way into the storage cupboard.

"Lighten up kid, we're the only ones of our crew because we haven't found anybody else yet but we'll get there eventually. Besides if we weren't strong enough to battle other pirates we probably would've never left home," I tried to reassure him.

"But the Alvida pirates are savages. They'll jump at the chance to kill anyone they think is disrespecting them or getting in their way!" I laughed again as I headed over to the food cupboard with the boy close behind.

"Yeah well I doubt that they're that tough. Look at how easily we scared off those other guys," I pointed out. Then I turned to face him as we entered the cupboard to find Luffy already stuffing his face with apples. "Besides, one time we beat up a giant bear together with our big brother and it stood taller than this ship." All the boy could do was blink at that. Suddenly Luffy turned around and tossed me an apple.

"Here," he said through a mouthful of apples. "It's good." Then he went back to eating his share. I rolled my eyes but sat down and shined the fruit up on my shirt which was basically a blue outer crop top tied off tightly underneath my breasts with a bikini top underneath. The boy continued to look out the door in case more of their crew came back. He finally sighed and turned around clearing his throat.

"So…you're name's Luffy right?" he asked having paid attention to Luffy's earlier introduction then turned to me. "And he said your name was…Al right?" he asked. I nodded as I leaned back.

"My full name's Bunny D. Allen but Al's my nickname sometimes. But I don't really care which one I'm called really. Both are fine by me." I stated. Then I looked at him as I bit into my own apple. "So, what's your name then?"

"Oh, I'm Coby. I uh…gotta say…that was pretty cool what you did with that barrel earlier but…" he looked at me. "How'd you turn into a bunny rabbit?" he wondered. I threw my head back and laughed heartily.

"Well that's easy enough. I ate the Bunny-Bunny fruit; one of the legendary devil fruits and now I'm a human who can turn herself into a rabbit at will. My brother over there ate the Gum-Gum fruit so he's made out of rubber." Coby blinked.

"A bunny girl and…a rubber man?" he questioned wondering if he'd heard right. I nodded as I continued eating my apple. He shook his head. "But…I always thought the devil fruits were a myth." I shook my head.

"Maybe it's because we're in East Blue but devil fruits are more common in the Grand Line at least…that's what my grandparents always told me. They gave me my devil fruit as a gift before they died." Coby lowered his head.

"Oh…I'm sorry for your loss," he stated.

"Eh, don't be…it wasn't your fault. Besides, I'm sure heaven's a nice place." He nodded before looking down again. I continued eating my apple. Suddenly Luffy turned back.

"So Coby, is this a pirate ship?" he wondered. I face palmed once more that day at his stupidity. Coby looked up at the curious light in Luffy's eyes.

"No, this is just a passenger ship that's being raided by pirates," he replied. I nodded.

"So then you're one of their crew?" I questioned. "I heard them talking to you earlier as if they knew you. Lemme guess…occupation…unwilling cabin boy?" Coby's eyes widened.

"How'd you…?" I grinned.

"You're a boy way younger than those guys; you're probably the weakest one and you don't seem like you want to be here. I'm good at reading situations." Coby looked down at that.

"Oh okay," he said simply. Luffy shrugged.

"Hey Al, do ya think they've got any boats on board?" he asked as he continued stuffing his face. I raised an eyebrow.

"Probably. If it's a passenger ship and all they'd have to have some in case the ship got hit or damaged." Luffy nodded only half paying attention.

"So Coby, if you hate being with these pirates then why don't you just leave already?" he wondered bluntly. Suddenly Coby was freaking out and shaking his head back and forth furiously.

"Are you crazy, I can't do that, no way; nah uh! Just the thought of our captain Alvida finding me scares me bad enough that I wanna throw up!" Luffy and I exchanged glances. I huffed as I finished off my apple and threw the core behind me.

"Wow you're stupid!" I stated bluntly.

"And a coward…" Luffy added.

"Don't forget a whiny moron," I also added. Coby looked down sniffling some.

"Geez, thanks for your honesty," he stated sarcastically. He trembled with fright. Luffy laughed.

"Geez kid, I really hate people like you," he said. Coby sniffled again. Meanwhile I was lost in thought and finally sighed, pulling my bandanna down some to cover my eyes.

"Ya know," I started. "I bet you wanna get off of that crew really bad don'tcha?" Coby turned to me then looked down at his knees again. He nodded.

"That would be nice but it's impossible," he said quietly. I smirked.

"I used to think that too." He looked up at me in shock. "Back in the days when I was trapped I didn't think anything could happen; didn't think anything could change my fate or that anybody would come to save me and ya know something…I was right.

"Soon the people who were holding me prisoner ended up doing something so horrible that it opened up my eyes to the cruel reality of life; that life doesn't give us chances to be rescued. Instead life gives us chances to change our fate and make our own call. Sometimes it doesn't matter that you're scared or not so strong…" I paused and I knew he was listening intently as I stared off into space. "…if you're not happy with your lot in life…then you've just gotta stand up and do something about it unless you wanna die by your own regrets." I glanced at him in my peripheral vision and I could see his eyes had widened considerably. I smirked. Meanwhile, Luffy had slowed his eating some during my speech but he'd sped up again in order to finish off the barrel and I found myself a small basket full of bread rolls. They were a little stale but I didn't really care as I dove into them. We continued eating in silence for a while until Coby spoke up again.

"Heh, I guess you're right," he said. "I've been so scared this whole time and nothing's going to change that, I know but…I'd really like to leave…after all I have dreams of my own that I wanna live out. Maybe…just maybe…I could find a way to escape." He paused. "Oh but I'm still so scared of Alvida," he whined to himself as he shook. I shrugged.

"So what…I was scared of my captors too but I didn't let it stop me from finally running away," I stated indifferently. He looked up at me with a weak smile.

"I guess that's probably because they were pirates or…marines," he said remembering that I'd told him we were pirates. I turned away with a dark look entering my eyes at the small reminder of 'that' girl's past.

"Actually," I spoke softly. "They were worse than pirates and marines combined." He blinked then turned away apparently uncomfortable that he'd disturbed my darker memories. He quickly decided to change topic.

"So uh…if you guys are pirates…what first got you to set sail?" he wondered. Luffy turned to him with a blank expression then suddenly pulled on a grin that split his entire face.

"Well I'm gonna be king of the pirates someday!" he proclaimed. This brought me back to the present and I couldn't hold back the grin that developed at seeing Coby's shocked expression. I ended up trying to stifle some giggles.

"T-the king?" he barely wheezed out in his disbelief. Luffy continued looking at him.

"Yup," he replied honestly.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah!" I rolled my eyes at the exchange and decided to go and look to see if they kept any cheese on board.

"But…but…but…" he tried to speak but couldn't find the right words. Finally he stood up and stared directly at Luffy. "King of the pirates is a title given to one who obtains everything this world has to offer. You're talking about seeking the great treasure of wealth, fame and power! The treasure you seek is the One Piece!" Coby exclaimed.

"Yeah," Luffy clarified.

"Yeah?! That's it?! Pirates all over the world are looking for that treasure ya know!"

"Yeah…so?" Luffy challenged. I laughed at his simple mindedness. Coby however was in full freak out mode.

"No way!" he shouted "It's impossible; impossible; impossible! There's no way anyone like you could reach the pinnacle during this great pirate age; there are just too many out there that're meaner and better…Ow!" he suddenly exclaimed as Luffy had stood up and knocked him one on the head. I sighed.

"Thank you!" I said as I went back to the food since I hadn't eaten lunch. Coby whined from the floor.

"Why'd you hit me?" he whined.

"Cuz I felt like it!" Luffy stated simply.

"And you were telling us our dreams were impossible," I added. "That's just simply not true." I shook my head. Coby looked up to me while holding his head.

"Huh, how so?" he asked. I turned to him and grinned.

"Cuz it's only impossible if we don't try!" His eyes widened as Luffy nodded then took his hat off and stared at it in thought.

"It's not about 'if' I can. I'm doing this because I want to." He stated. A smile grew on his face as he spoke. "I've decided long ago that I'm gonna be king of the pirates and if I have to die fighting for that…then I die!" Coby stared up at him in shock and I could tell that he'd been inspired. I meanwhile had started filling up a basket of food after having emptied it. Coby turned to me.

"What about you? Are you gonna try to become king too?" he wondered. I laughed out loud then turned to him with a grin.

"Nah, I'd rather stick to my own dream. The truth is that the pirate king is the freest person in the world and if his crew is with him when he finds One Piece then we'll all be really free too so that's where I'm headed; to freedom…and to find the rest of the Mystics of course." I grinned wider. Luffy sighed and patted his stomach.

"Great…now that I'm full for now, time to find us a new boat. Ya comin'?" I waved at him.

"Yeah, yeah, just a minute. I'm getting back what I lost for lunch and something for dinner." He shrugged as he made his way to the exit. Meanwhile Coby was still on the floor.

"I guess I've never thought of it like that," he muttered quietly to himself. "If I put my mind to it…if I'm prepared to die for it…could I do something like that?" Luffy stopped turning back around and I turned towards him with a raised eyebrow.

"Like what?" Luffy wondered.

"Do you think…?" Coby started, "…do you think I could ever join the marines?" he asked softly. I tilted my head in fascination.

"Marines?" Luffy asked. Suddenly it was as though there had been a spark ignited within Coby as he spun to directly face Luffy.

"Yes! Catching bad guys is all I've wanted to do!" he shouted. "It's been my dream since I was a child!" I laughed curtly.

"Heh, aren't you still a child?" I asked. He turned to me now with the same expression of passion in his eyes he'd shown to Luffy.

"I meant when I was younger!" he retorted. "I know I'm still a kid but it's still my dream! Do you…do you think I can do it?" he asked alternating glances between the both of us. I smiled at his determination remembering my grandparents. Luffy shrugged as he stood by the pantry door.

"How should I know," he said simply.

"Meh, what could it hurt?" I stated. Coby nodded.

"Then I'm gonna do it!" he proclaimed loudly as he began to follow Luffy towards the door. I too headed that way as I finished filling up my basket with things I liked. "I'm not gonna get stuck here as a cabin boy for the rest of my life! I'll break out then turn around and catch Alvida myself!" he shouted. However, as if he'd just spoken a taboo name, the ceiling suddenly came crashing down around us as something fell through the hole and I had to regain my balance as I almost dropped my precious basket full of food. Luckily I found a lid to tie onto it. Then I slung it around my back.

"Who is that you plan on catching Coby?" asked a rather agitated woman's voice with a bit of male husk to it. "And you actually think this twig and his girlfriend are going to help you? Well…answer me!" Luffy and I glanced at one another and shivered at the thought of being boyfriend and girlfriend when we were brother and sister but we let it slide by. Meanwhile all of Coby's courage just seemed to evaporate once the large woman who'd spoken was in the room and he began shivering and cowering again. Suddenly a few sword blades poked through the wall and door behind us just narrowly missing us but effectively locking us in the pantry.

As the large woman whose fat wrinkles had fat wrinkles turned to look at us after growling and baring her canines – metaphorically speaking – at Coby, I could tell right away this woman loved to hear how pretty she must be which could've been born through countless insecurities of her weight and figure throughout her life. She carried an iron club mace with blunt points sticking out of it and she wore several rings on her fingers plus an outfit that made her look almost like an overweight cowgirl. In fact, she looked more sea cow than woman at all. As her eyes roved over us she scoffed.

"Huh, I'm guessing you're not the pirate hunter Zoro," she said. Luffy tilted his head curiously.

"Zoro?" he asked. She turned to me next with a raised eyebrow.

"And are you supposed to be the bunny?" she questioned. I smiled at her and nodded with a sweet little girl, "Mm, hm!" to go with it. She turned back to one of her men peeping into the hole and growled at him. He flinched.

"Moron!" she said. "You dare lie to me?" she accused. The man tried to defend himself. He put his hands up in desperate surrender.

"No milady," he pleaded. "There really was a rabbit down here. I remember it coming out and hitting me right in the forehead." He pointed to a red spot as if to prove it. I laughed.

"Heh, sorry about that," I apologized to the man sweetly. "But my brother threw me into you by accident. I wasn't planning on hitting you like that so blame this guy," I said jerking my thumb towards Luffy. The pirate seemed confused and Alvida turned around with some of the same confusion adorning her face. She growled.

"Quit playin' games with my men girlie," she warned me. I continued smiling.

"Sorry but I wasn't playing," I tried to reason. She rolled her eyes at me then turned her attention back to Coby.

"Coby!" she roared. Coby flinched at her voice.

"Y-yes ma'am?" he stuttered. The woman I assumed was Alvida grinned.

"Tell me…whose the most beautiful of all on these seas?" she demanded of him. Coby spluttered, trying to come up with the answer he was supposed to give.

"Ah…I…well…uh…gimme a sec…I know this…" Coby stammered. I tilted my head back in thought as I answered for him.

"Well…I've heard about this famous pirate empress whose beauty makes all men swoon as soon as they lay eyes on her. Her name's Boa Hancock and they call her the most beautiful on all the seas." I stated matter of factly remembering the story well from my grandparent's stories. When I looked back down from my temporary thought cloud all was quiet as everybody stared at me. "What?" I asked simply. Then Luffy brought a finger up to point at the gaping mouth of Alvida looking completely lost. He turned to Coby.

"Hey Coby, who's the fat lady?" he questioned innocently. I sighed as I punched him in the arm. He turned to me as I gave him an annoyed look. "What?" he asked of me as everyone else went into a second bout of shock at his question.

"Luffy you don't just randomly call a woman fat, that's very rude!" I chastised him.

"Huh, but it's true," he complained. I placed my hands on my hips.

"Yeah but ya don't just go and say it like that," I chided. "You have to be respectful to a woman. Not everyone can help the way they look and most women don't like others pointing out their flaws. It hurts their feelings. Geez did you learn nothing from big sis Makino?" I demanded.

"I learned I should always be truthful so that's what I did," he retorted.

"Damn it Luffy sometimes the truth hurts so you can't always go around preaching it! And since you're a terrible liar, you'd do better just keeping your mouth shut! Now say you're sorry for insulting her!" I demanded and pointed at her.

"What why?" Luffy demanded. I gave him one of those 'don't mess with the bunny' looks and he backed down with a sigh. "Okay fine but I still don't get it!" he pouted. He turned to the now steaming Alvida and bowed as I watched him. "I'm sorry for calling you fat lady," he said. However, Alvida didn't look like she wanted an apology.

"YOU BRATS!" Alvida screamed as she raised her club and brought it down to hit us both but we side stepped out of the way with Luffy grabbing Coby and me transforming into my human/bunny hybrid and leaping out after them still with my basket of food. Luffy laughed as he turned to me.

"Looks like she didn't want an apology!" he laughed. I huffed.

"Whatever, I'm not just gonna let my big brother become an insulter of women just because he has no self-control." He laughed again as he dodged an incoming pirate with a sword then head butted him into unconsciousness.

"Whatever, let's just fight these guys already!" he beamed. I rolled my eyes at him as I charged forth to deal with my own pirates.

"Fine but just remember that this was all your fault," I told him as I leapt above the swing of swords with one of my hands holding the lid of my food basket in place. Then I sent out some well-placed kicks to each one and jabbed one guy with one of my long ears in the forehead.

Next I used my speed to get ahead of them and back flipped off a wall to land on one guy's shoulders which caused them all to charge one of their own just to get me. I sighed at how their form lacked any skill whatsoever. I sent a split kick at two landing back on the man's shoulders then hopping up slightly to hold myself on his head with my free hand before I launched myself off of him towards one of the masts at ground level, catching one of guys in the way then using the mast and his face to launch back at the others to knock them all over like bowling pins. Not too long after that I caught Luffy using the same mast to use his Gum-Gum Rocket move on some guys who'd ganged up on him, knocking them all over in pretty much the same way. By the time we were done, all of Alvida's men including the ones who'd come back up from the galley were all knocked on their asses either unconscious or groaning in pain. I knocked out the last one who'd tried to come at me from behind with a back kick to the gut after I'd broken his weak sword between my ears.

I approached Luffy with a wide grin on my face as he laughed heartily at the easy defeat of the pirate crew. Meanwhile, the men who'd been loading up the stolen loot onto their ship were remaining on their own ship beside the passenger ship wisely not trying to come over and not eager to have their asses kicked. Coby on the other hand who'd watched the whole fight shook with disbelief at our easy win over guys he'd cowered under for years. His mouth hung agape.

"S-so…those are…the powers of the devil fruits?" he asked in shock. I turned to him and shrugged.

"Well, all mine does is turn me into a bunny rabbit so the rest for me is just skill from hunting," I explained modestly.

"Right!" Coby replied. Suddenly, Alvida cleared her throat from behind him causing him to jump. Personally I wondered how she'd managed to make it out of her self-made hole. Coby immediately ran over to hide behind us as Alvida looked at us with not much care yet some slight interest.

"So…you two have eaten of the devil fruits," she exclaimed. She looked to me. "I guess this explains the bunny." I grinned and gave her the peace sign as Luffy nodded in confirmation to her claim and pulled his cheek out to show her.

"Yup, I ate the Gum-Gum one. My sister ate the Bunny-Bunny one," he explained. Alvida nodded slightly. I could see the amazement in her eyes.

"Aha," she said. "I'd heard rumors they existed but I'd never seen any evidence of them before today." She paused as she looked us over. "You're much more skilled than the average deck swabbers, are you two bounty hunters?" I laughed.

"We may not look it but…"

"We're pirates," Luffy finished for me. I nodded.

"Right and we just started our pirate journey today. We're on our way out to find ourselves a good crew now!" Alvida laughed curtly.

"You…pirates?! And you're just starting out? Well then…if we're both pirates and we're under different flags…then that would make us enemies wouldn't it?" she jeered. I shrugged.

"Meh, guess it depends on what kind of pirate you are I guess," I said. Suddenly Coby spoke up from behind us.

"Uh…Luffy, Allen…we should go!" he stammered. Luffy looked at him questioningly.

"Huh but why?" he asked.

"Well you saw how powerful her club is," he tried to reason. "And of all the villainous cheats in all these waters she's easily the most…" he trailed off as he looked into our eyes suddenly seeming as though he was trying to remember something important. I blinked, yawned then stretched to the sky as he thought about it.

"Go on…tell me," Alvida dared him, thinking she'd get another charisma boost out of it. Suddenly a flash of finality flashed within Coby's eyes and he turned towards Alvida with his fists clenched along with his teeth, staring at her strongly even though his legs betrayed his fear.

"You're the most ugliest thing on the seas!" he shouted at her. Alvida's jaw clenched in anger and she growled trying to keep her temper but failing miserably. I sighed shaking my head sadly.

"How rude Coby," I chastised as Luffy began laughing his head off glad the kid had grown some back bone. He still held his shaky yet unyielding posture as he stared at her.

"What'd you say?!" Alvida demanded of the small pink haired boy. Coby stepped forward not letting go of his courage.

"I'm leaving and I'm gonna join the marines!" he declared. "Then I'm gonna spend the rest of my life beating up dirty pirates like you!" Alvida gritted her teeth more.

"Do you have any clue what you're saying to me right now?" she demanded.

"Of course I do and I'm gonna do what I want and no one's going to stop me! And when I join the marines; I'm gonna join em! And I'm going to catch your lousy ass first!" Alvida raised her club as she roared at him.

"You're dead kid! Agh!" Coby let out an earsplitting yell beside me as Alvida moved to attack him however he didn't turn and run he stood his ground even as he was afraid. Luffy's laughter echoed out loudly until finally it died down and he stepped in front of Coby with a wide grin on his face. I couldn't help but chuckle and smile too.

"Well said!" he declared surprising Coby. As the mace came down it came into direct contact with Luffy's head causing Coby to panic but I just laughed as Alvida became surprised.

"Heh, that won't work," Luffy teased. Alvida's eyes widened with her surprise.

"What!?" she demanded. Luffy knocked the mace off of him with his fist.

"I'm rubber!" he declared proudly as he sent his arm stretching far enough back that it became a dot on the horizon. Coby turned to me as he began to call out the name of his attack.

"Even if he's rubber, shouldn't the spikes have hurt him?" he asked. I chuckled then grinned as I held my arms across my chest watching the show.

"Nah, blunt objects can't hurt my big brother. Those spikes are anything but sharp." Coby turned back to the show too.

"Oh," he said as we watched Luffy's arm sail back in and slam into Alvida's gut. We had just enough time to see her expression become one of fear and pain as she was sent flying out over the railing and far off into the distance. Luffy's arm came back to him with a snapping 'twang' sound and a satisfied grin found itself on his face. I nodded in acknowledgement that the deed was done. I walked up to him with my arms still crossed as Luffy turned to the remainder of Alvida's crew to tell them to get a boat for Coby. As soon as they agreed I sighed when I was beside them.

"Good job brother," I stated. He turned to me with a grin on his face.

"Heh thanks!" he said before I smacked him upside the head. He instinctively held the back of his head in annoyance even though he wouldn't have felt that one.

"Although for future reference hitting a woman is considered rude especially if you hit her somewhere inappropriate so be mindful of where you send your punches to those kinds of opponents." Luffy chuckled.

"Yeah alright," he agreed. I smiled in turn and laughed a little as well. Coby beamed at us both in relief.

"Heh…thanks you guys," he said just as another whistling sound was heard then an explosion. We nearly lost our footing as the ships began to rock. We turned to see that the marines had arrived on the scene. I rolled my eyes at the three ships.

"Typical that they'd get here after everything's been handled by us," I huffed in annoyance. However I smiled in spite of myself and grinned wide enough that I had to close my eyes.

"Hey let's get outta here kay!?" I said as I leapt over the side of the ship into a waiting boat hanging below. I waited a while before Luffy joined me and so did Coby as he didn't want to be caught like this. I suppose I could understand since he'd only just quit being a cabin boy so it wasn't too long before we were falling towards the water and landing on the waves below. All the while I kept a tight hold on my food basket's lid and as the waves rocked us about we eventually made our way away from the passenger ship and snuck off into the great expanse of the ocean with the help of Coby's more than sufficient enough navigational skills. I grinned happily as we made our way on the ocean again this time in a sturdier boat.

"I can hardly believe we managed to get away," Coby exclaimed in shock as he continued looking for any followers. I laughed.

"Yeah well we were able to leave as the marines arrived and started to actually do their jobs. We should thank them for the distraction along with the pirates who were trying to escape." Meanwhile Luffy sat at the front of the boat casually laughing at our great fortune. He sighed.

"Oh what great fun!" he laughed. Coby turned towards him and gulped.

"Luffy," he started getting his attention. "If you're searching for the elusive One Piece then you guys must be headed for the Grand Line right?" he asked. "You know…the people I've talked to call that place the pirate grave yard." Luffy nodded.

"Right!" he agreed. "And that's why we need an extra strong crew!"

"Not to mention a sturdier ship," I reminded him. He nodded.

"Yeah right." He turned to Coby now thinking about something entirely different. "You guys mentioned some kind of pirate hunter. So what's he like?" he wondered. Coby seemed slightly surprised.

"Oh ya mean Zoro?" he questioned. "Last I heard was he's being held prisoner at some marine base." Luffy frowned disappointedly.

"Oh well, a weakling huh?" he stated. However Coby was quick to correct him.

"No, you're so wrong! He's as violent as a demon and three times as horrifying!" suddenly Coby frowned in confusion. "So why're you asking about him anyway?" he wondered. Luffy grinned.

"I figure if he's good enough I'd ask him to join my crew!" he stated simply. Coby wore an expression of shock. I furrowed my brows.

"But didn't they call him a pirate hunter? That seems like we'd be contradicting one another if we asked him to join. Besides what kind of skillset does he have anyways?" I wondered.

"H-he's a swordsman who uses three swords apparently," Coby explained shakily before shaking himself out of his stupor and turning to us. "But anyways, chasing him down is just plain reckless!" he tried to warn.

"You don't know, he might jump at the chance to join," Luffy reasoned and I nodded thinking.

"Yeah and we did say we wanted a good swordsman in the crew," I reminded him of our earlier chat.

"Right," Luffy agreed. However, Coby was freaking out again.

"Are you guys crazy!?" he demanded. "He's a bad enough guy that the marines caught him! No way; not a chance; forget it; no; no…" (Whack!) "Ow…why'd you hit me" he complained.

"Cuz you're annoying," I replied definitely as we continued to sail forth on our journey.


	3. SII Swordsman on Shell Island

_**Act I: Scene II**_

 _ **Swordsman on Shell Island**_

* * *

"WHAT A DAY! IT'S GORGEOUS!" my brother shouted to the skies above. We'd been on the sea for quite some time since the cruise ship. So far Coby had proven more than useful with his navigational skills and thank god for that. If it were left to either me or Luffy we'd end up going in circles. True that being lost on the vast ocean can sometimes be fun but it can also be dangerous since one can only survive in a dingy with minimal food and water for so long. It was also a good thing that Coby was a practiced fisherman – er – boy. He'd managed to catch us a pretty good few meals once my own special gathering of food had run out. Luffy was still angry I hadn't shared but I'd had to remind him it was his punishment for not sharing our first stash of food with me.

"As long as we can stay on this heading, we should reach the marine base in no time," Coby commented from where he sat. I grinned at him.

"Sounds good to me," I stated. Luffy actually seemed relatively surprised.

"Wow Coby, you're great out here! You mean to tell me we're actually going to reach the place we originally set out for?!" he asked incredulously. Coby furrowed his brows and set down his fishing rod.

"Of course," he replied. "It's nothing, I'm just using the skills that every sailor should have." He adjusted his glasses and turned to me confused. "Do you mean to say that neither of you actually have any navigational experience?" I snorted.

"You didn't figure that out two days ago?" I queried. Coby's frown only deepened.

"How are you expecting to reach One Piece if you don't even know where you're going?" I just shrugged.

"Beats me, that's what the Navigator's gonna be for," I reasoned. Coby just sighed.

"I suppose I should just expect answers like that from you guys by now shouldn't I?" I laughed and nudged him playfully.

"Yup, pretty much! Apparently thinking – and I quote – 'is stupid, annoying, hurts my brain and who needs it anyway!?' Did I get that right captain?" I asked of my brother. Luffy just burst out laughing and nodded jovially.

"Yeah, that's exactly right…I think," he laughed again. Coby frowned adjusting his glasses again.

"You know there's nothing really to be so giggly about because…at the marine base…they're holding the great pirate hunter…Roronoro Zoro!" he stated going deep into thoughts I knew already had him shaking slightly at the image of whatever he'd concocted the supposed 'demon' to look like. I shrugged again not really caring as I sank lower from my position into a more lounging one.

"This is the man who's diced up his bounties like an animal bent on carnage; a blood thirsty beast! He's nothing less than a living breathing demon in human form!" he shivered at the thought. I snorted.

"Oh please, those are all probably just wild rumors based on some random witnesses' accounts spread thin enough to leave gaps and holes that're immediately filled in by lies and deceit to give someone the wrong idea."

"Are you kidding me!?" Coby exclaimed. Despite my hitting him the first time he was clearly persistent in trying to be a world class annoyance. "All of these reports come from the marines themselves and other high ranking authorities! How could they not be true!?" I sighed and shook my head, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Oh you poor delusional wretch," I said with emphasized dramatics. "How have you survived this long? It must be a miracle!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" He shot back. I retracted my hand and sighed.

"You may've been forced to be a cabin boy for a pirate crew but you still obviously don't understand how this world really works do you?" He blinked at me with confusion as I slouched down lower. Meanwhile, Luffy had gone quiet for the first time in a while where he sat at the front of the boat.

"You must think that the only possible villains out there in world are pirates, bandits and rumored to be evil demon swordsmen." I paused for effect then smirked. "But you're wrong in believing that every marine, every form of authority is nothing but the world's most precious guardian angels. Among the more praised crop of the world, lie very real demons right under everybody's noses. I'm not saying all marines are bad eggs but you'd better believe it when I say they're not all saints either. The reason for that is simple. We're all humans and humans are just undeniably imperfect!"

The weight of my words seemed to change Coby's general atmosphere. Luffy just pulled his hat down further over the front of his face. I knew he'd go back to laughing aloud and sounding like an idiot in few minutes later but for now, I'd stirred up both our dark pasts for the time being. I hated to do it but someone just had to teach this naïve kid that life with marines wasn't all sunshine and glory. It was brutal and bloody along with corrupted since the ones on top who ran the world pretty much controlled them. It was a lesson that he would have to learn the hard way or die from if he didn't have what it took. Suddenly I couldn't help bursting into laughter over the matter.

"But hey, forget about all of this morbid stuff for now; we're supposed to be on an adventure and isn't that our island over there?" I asked pointing to the lump in the distance that was slowly but surely getting closer. Coby snapped out of his thoughts, took a few quick calculations then nodded.

"Yeah that's it!" he exclaimed.

"Whoo hoo!" hollered Luffy at the top of his lungs completely switching gears from a moment ago. I grinned as his enthusiasm replaced the darker tone and allowed my excitement to show on my face as a beaming smile. This was going to be exciting!

As soon as we dropped Anchor, Luffy leapt out of the boat to take in the new sights while Coby and I tied it to the docks.

"We're here! The Marine Base City!" he declared excitedly while fist bumping into the air.

"How does he function?" Coby wondered in a low whisper. I giggled.

"Ya know I've often wondered that myself," I admitted. We shared a good chuckle at my brother's expense as we finished tying off the boat. Then the three of us wandered off into town, Luffy taking the lead while I looked around at the new places I'd never seen before. Eventually we found our way onto a main road that led right up to the Marine Base through an assortment of storefronts and street vendors. As we got closer, Coby's anxiety started acting up again.

"Luffy, seriously," he pleaded. "You're out of your mind if you think the right thing to do is to get this guy to join you!" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Well, I haven't made up my mind yet. I've gotta see if he's a good guy," he admitted.

"He's imprisoned because he's obviously not!" Coby retorted.

"Or was wrongfully accused of doing something he didn't," I shrugged. He gaped at me incredulously while I smirked and noogied his hair. "Ah c'mon, quit yer worrying. We're plenty strong so we can take care of ourselves. Just watch and learn." I stated as my brother picked up two pears and tossed me one while taking a big bite out of his own. Then he turned and tossed some money to the vendor.

"Hey, is that guy Zoro around here somewhere?" he asked. Immediately all of the nearby townspeople jumped about a mile in the air and as far away from us as possible. It was as if we were the plague. I grinned and snickered some at their reaction.

"I think we should take that as yes," I suggested.

"Maybe we shouldn't mention the name 'Zoro' here okay?" Coby whispered to us. I understood his logic but Luffy didn't catch any of it. I shook my head at him as we kept walking up the street, eating up my own pear as we went.

"Let's head to the base and check it out. You wanna be a Marine right," Luffy asked of Coby. The shy pink haired boy nodded timidly.

"Well of course I do Luffy but I really don't think I'm ready just yet." His face took on the expression of anxiousness. "From what I've heard the man in charge of this base is named Captain Morgan!" he exclaimed. I was about to ask how that was relevant until the crowds surrounding us once again leapt away from us like the plague. Coby was dumbfounded. Meanwhile Luffy burst out laughing as we continued to walk.

"This town is such a weird place," he laughed, holding his stomach from the intensity. Coby ran to keep up with us, his eyebrows furrowed.

"That was odd; I mean I understand if they're scared of Zoro but why did they flip when I mentioned the Marine Captain's name?" I shrugged.

"Maybe they were just jumping around for the fun of it," Luffy suggested.

"Or judging by their reactions, they're actually ruled by a terrifying tyrant wearing a marine's uniform," I said.

"But marines don't attack the people!" he exclaimed incredulously. Luffy continued to laugh.

"Yeah right, tell that to our Grandpa!" He sniggered. I simply shrugged.

"Look kid, it's basically what I told you in the boat. You can't say this Captain Margo guy isn't a villain." Coby furrowed his brows further.

"That's Captain Morgan and why would he be a villain? He's a marine!" I shrugged once again.

"Who knows but honestly, I think the real question should be if Zoro the pirate hunting demon is so terrifying then why do the townspeople seem to be more afraid of this so called Marine captain?" Coby seemed surprised by my revelation and began to think upon what I'd just said. However, before he could attempt to figure out the answer, we reached the mighty Marine Base gates. They were old and weathered with years and a Marine sigil on the front. Luffy placed his hands on his hips and gave a curt nod as he looked up.

"This looks like the place," he stated. I nodded and turned to Coby who looked like he had tears forming on the rims of his eyes.

"I made it," he said. He then brought an arm up to his tearing eyes trying to hide them then got all dramatic. "This is where we part ways. We didn't have long together but…" he was pulled from his teary goodbye when he heard the sounds of struggling. I rolled my eyes in exasperation at my brother as he tried to climb the wall.

"Where's the foot hold?" he demanded.

"There are none doofus," I retorted. "It's a brick wall!"

"Get down from there; what are you doing they'll see you!" Coby panicked waving his arms around. We ignored him and I walked up towards the wall too.

"Now where's this demon?" I heard him mutter once he'd found a good purchase on the wall.

"Look for horns!" I called up. Coby meanwhile just shook his head at us.

"They wouldn't keep him out in the open. He's probably tucked in a prison cell below ground," he tried to reason.

"There he is!" Luffy suddenly called. He hopped down and ran around the wall exclaiming, "I'm gonna get closer!" I ran after him with Coby trying to keep up.

"Hey wait for me!" I called annoyed. I followed him to another section of the wall and this time, we climbed up together. I looked around the yard laid out before us. "Okay, now where is he?"

"Over there!" he exclaimed pointing my eyes in the right direction just as Coby managed to shimmy up the wall.

"Coby look!" I exclaimed. "That's gotta be him!" Coby shook his head.

"I'm tellin' you he's not…" he cut himself off with a gasp of recognition as his gaze fell upon the man in the yard. He was tied to a post, his arms tied up to a cross beam from behind and he sat slouched under the heat of the sun. I have to admit that he looked pretty badass with that bandanna on his head and I should know. After all, I know how to rock a bandanna too.

"Hey, if we untie those ropes, he could just walk away!" Luffy said suddenly.

"Oh don't be such an idiot Luffy! There's no telling what a bandit like him will do if you let him go. He might just kill us all!" Coby yelled at him.

"Yeah, Coby's right," I said, grabbing my brother's attention. Coby sighed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, thank you!"

"If 'you' tried to untie the ropes you'd probably end up tightening them instead," I stated, causing Coby's jaw to drop. "I say we just use my dagger to cut them! That's way easier!"

"Are you two out of your minds?!" he cried. We just gave him a questioning look before another's voice drew our attention.

"Hey you three," a deep voice said. We immediately turned to regard the speaker; the one tied to the post. "You're an eyesore…" he looked up at us dangerously. "Get lost!" he growled. Luffy and I paid no mind to Coby's minor freak out as we had now made contact with this intriguing new figure. Suddenly a ladder was placed in between me and Coby and a little girl climbed up shushing us in the process. She carefully looked around then once deciding the coast was clear threw a rope over the wall after fastening it onto something and climbed down with a package of sorts in her arms. As soon as she hit the ground and started running towards Zoro, Coby started freaking out again.

I paid him no mind as I eyed the rope just dangling next to me. An idea formed in my head and I grinned excitedly.

"I'll be right back," I exclaimed as I swung myself over and used the rope to shimmy down – although I didn't really need it – to the ground where I transformed into a full on rabbit and began to hop closer to the swordsman for a better look.

"Hey where do you think you're going?! Allen!" Coby hissed from behind me. Luffy remained where he was to watch the show and thankfully didn't comment. I got closer to witness the scene and honestly I've gotta say; I think that's when I started to grow respect for this swordsman.

"What do you want?" he growled down at her. She just smiled up at him.

"I thought you might be getting hungry now, so I made you a couple of rice balls!" she replied cheerily as she began to un-wrap the small bundle in her arms. I leaned in excitedly. I was always listening when there was food involved – I swear I got that trait from both of my Grandfathers and my brothers. Oh well, it's not like I'm a terrible glutton like Luffy. He has the unfair advantage of a rubber stomach so he can stretch it to fit anything. He can eat more than Ace, Sabo, Gramps and I combined – only by a hair though.

"You got a death wish kid? Scram!" the swordsman glowered back. However, his attempts to be intimidating didn't work well with him tied up and seemingly tired. I snickered.

"But you haven't eaten anything the entire time you've been tied up," the kid protested. Once she finished un-wrapping the rice balls, she held them up to show him with a beaming smile on her face. "Here, I've never really made them before. But I did my best so I think they're fine!" I was immediately touched by her sentiments and I could tell he was too. However, he grew slightly panicked before outright yelling at her.

"Listen kid, I'm not hungry! Now stop irritating me and get outta here!" Her face fell some.

"But…" she tried again.

"Do not make me kick your ass little girl!" he yelled at her. At this I burst out laughing drawing their attention. They stared at me for quite some time until I finally collected myself and wiped a fake tear from my eye.

"Whoo, you're too funny ya know?" I inquired of the swordsman. "I think I like ya already. Of course, it's the captain's final decision." He stared at me in utter shock.

"A talking…bunny?" he said. Then he completely deadpanned. "Maybe I should eat something…I think I'm seein' things!" I snickered.

"Oh I can assure you, you're not delusional," I told him. "I'm just thinkin' it's funny to say you're going to kick someone's ass when you're all tied up!" I indicated the post. He glowered at me a bit.

"That's what my imagination would want me to think," he tried to reason with himself. I just shrugged turning to the little girl who looked absolutely stunned.

"Say kid, you can see n' hear me right?" I asked her for confirmation. She nodded slowly then quicker as her whole face lit up excitedly.

"Wow, you're really a talking bunny!" she exclaimed. I nodded then cringed back a bit with a nervous chuckle.

"Well actually…I'm not technically a real bunny…" I tried to explain just as I heard the gates to the yard we were in move apart. I turned my attention there to see two marines escorting a funnily dressed man through towards us.

"Now, now, what's with the ruckus out here in the crucifixion yard?" he asked in a voice that really grated on my nerves. I swear he sounded more annoying than Coby. Zoro turned to face him and tsk'd in annoyance. The little girl meanwhile, started to look a little frightened. He immediately turned to face Zoro and smirked smugly. I wanted to kick it right off his face. I knew his type; I'd practically grown up with them for most of my life and I hated everything they stood for. The only exceptions were my grandparents who were different from the rest.

"Humph, Roronoa Zoro," he stated mockingly. "You seem to be handling this well; don't you agree?" He held the collar of his shirt delicately between index finger and thumb with one hand and had his other hand in his pocket. He made it to where we were standing, noticing the girl's rice balls out in the open.

"Lookie; some tasty rice balls!" he exclaimed, snatching one up and taking an overly large bite from it. I really wanted to kick him but I also wanted to see more of how this would play out. The girl tried to stop him.

"Hey, those aren't for you!" she cried. Suddenly his face contorted into one of distaste as he spat out the rice ball from his mouth.

"Agh, too sweet!" he exclaimed. Then he turned angrily to the girl. "They're packed with sugar! You're supposed to use salt you idiot; salt!" I snickered at the overreaction and held up the rice ball he'd bitten out of. I'd caught it when he'd thrown it and now I was curious as to how it would taste.

"But I…I thought they'd taste better sweet," the girl protested. I then took a bite of it from the side that wasn't tainted with loser germs and immediately fireworks went off in my head. Yeah they were too sweet but they were also my kind of sweet not to mention if I added some Tabasco sauce then it'd be perfect in my opinion. The man…okay actually no, he's a boy close to Coby's age just freakishly tall…swatted the second rice ball off the package onto the ground and began stomping on it.

"No; stop; I worked so hard," the girl cried. Okay, now I really wanted to kick him in the face. As he finished and stepped back, the little girl trembled before the crushed food, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

"But I…worked so hard to make those," she whimpered. The snotty boy just stuck his nose up in the air and looked at the little girl with disgust as he pulled something out of his inner shirt pocket.

"Too bad," he stated. "You must not have read the notice that was posted. Those who assist criminals in any way will be executed, signed Marine Captain Morgan!" The little girl tensed and began to shake with fright. Meanwhile the annoying idiot laughed at her discomfort.

"It seems even little brats fear my daddy," he stated. I snorted drawing attention to me as I still clutched the rice ball I'd been nibbling on.

"Oh I get it now," I exclaimed. "No wonder your taste in outfits is as bad as your taste for good rice balls." I looked up at him cheekily. "You're nothin' but a spoiled little daddy's boy, aren't ya!"

"Ugh, how rude! Just what are your supposed to be!?" the boy demanded of me. I just shrugged taking another bite out of the rice ball.

"A bunny," I said, stating the obvious and wiggling my cotton tail somewhat fast along with my long ears for emphasis. The boy gritted his teeth at me and started making a big scene out of nothing.

"And what makes you think you can just bounce in here and try to break human laws?" he demanded. "You're nothing more than a rodent!" I huffed then spat some rice grains at his face earning myself some satisfaction as he spluttered to get the sticky stuff off his face.

"Now who's being rude?" I demanded. "I'm more than just a mere bunny rabbit. I'm a pirate too!" I stated strongly. That earned me some odd looks from all including Zoro. I held my ground. "And the last time I checked, your laws don't apply to me. Besides, what I wanna know is what the big deal with this Captain Marty guy is? He sounds like a crackpot to me." I could hear Luffy snickering and giggling from his place on the wall. Meanwhile, the marines looked at me as though I'd just committed something taboo. The snotty pretty boy got really angry and annoyed here.

"Humph, are you stupid?" he asked. "What kind of bunny tries to play at being pirate and just who do you think you are; asking a question like that? Captain 'Morgan' is my father and the one in charge of this here base. Now I suggest you start showing some more respect and skedaddle before I have you turned into a rabbit stew!" I snickered.

"I would love to see you try," I dared. He growled before turning towards the marine to his left.

"Hey you toss the kid out and you," he turned to the guard on the right. "Catch that rabbit. It'll make a nice dinner tonight." The marines paused for a moment unsure of what to do. The boy became angry and turned full around to get into their faces. "I said throw her over the wall and get my dinner soldiers! Now if you won't follow my orders, I'll tell my father." I bet he uses his father's name as leverage all the time. The Guards were immediately more frightened. The one went towards the little girl who backed away frightened.

Meanwhile, the other guard began to creep up on me causing me to sigh resignedly as I chucked rest of the rice ball into my mouth and swallowed. Then as the marine coming after me lunged, I leapt out of the way and began to dash back to the wall as the poor girl was thrown.

"Luffy go long!" I shouted. My brother who was on the wall didn't have to be told twice as the girl went sailing over his head and he leapt from his perch, using his rubber man powers to catch her and keep her safe as they fell. I didn't see what happened next I just avoided a bullet that nearly grazed my shoulder. Honestly, how do I get myself into these situations?

I doubled back around and hid under a tree root as the Marine came and waited for him to pass. Then I scaled the tree – transforming into my midway transformation to do so and sat down on the thickest branch covered with foliage. I may have been in the corner of the yard now but my hearing was still really strong so I could hear what was going on and see through my little peep hole through the leaves.

"The girl's gone," the one who'd thrown the girl declared.

"The rabbit too sir, she got away!" The boy stomped his foot on the ground and started throwing a fit.

"I want that rabbit found!" he roared. "Make that your priority one soldier! And as for you!" He whirled around to face Zoro who'd been forgotten during the chase and my earlier teasing. Zoro tsk'd and the boy switched from being annoyed and outraged to laughing in his face.

"You're just dead set on staying alive aren't you?" he asked amused.

"That's right," Zoro stated with determination. "I'm going to make it to the end of the month with no problems!" I smirked as I suddenly began to get some idea of why he was tied up. The boy just laughed mockingly.

"Right, good luck with that," he jibed as he then turned and started to walk away.

"Only ten days left!" Zoro declared after him.

"Oh, and you still assume you'll make it to the end of those ten days!" the boy laughed. I just shook my head at their retreating figures then dropped out of my hiding place going back into full bunny form. I hopped all the way back to where Zoro was tied up with a grin on my face. I snickered.

"He also assumes he's having rabbit stew tonight," I giggled. Zoro turned back to me and tsk'd again.

"You again?" he asked annoyed. "What now that the danger's gone, you've come back out to revel in the moment?" I shook my head.

"Nah, I coulda taken em with no problem," I stated surely. I glanced up at him. "It was holding myself back that was difficult. That's why I ran away; so I could see what you'd do and not end up going overboard with a couple of idiots." He merely scoffed.

"You expect me to believe that?" he countered. I grinned cheekily.

"What you believe is up to you. I'm just tellin' ya what is," I said. My ears twitched as I heard familiar footsteps nearby. I turned to see my brother who'd now come up to stand behind me.

"Well…finally decided to come in and check out the scene?" I teased him. He grinned.

"Yeah oh and don't worry, I caught that girl!" he chuckled. I grinned back.

"Oh good," I said before turning my gaze back on the glowering swordsman.

"So you're still here too?" he ground out. "What the hell do you weirdos want?" Luffy just laughed at the name calling and stepped forward.

"Well, we heard you were a bad guy," he stated.

"And a good guy," I added. He cocked his eyebrows at us.

"You're stuck out here for all the world to see with nothing," Luffy continued. "Are you really all that strong?" Zoro gritted his teeth.

"Mind your own business!" he snapped. Luffy turned to me as we approached the post he was tied to.

"I heard from the conversation he just had that he's been out here for almost a month now. I think he made some sort of deal or something."

"Ooh, what kind of deal?" Luffy then asked the swordsman who just growled at the both of us.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with!" the swordsman shot back. Luffy just laughed and sighed.

"Ya know if I were you, I'd probably starve to death in three days!" he stated. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Of course 'you' would," I emphasized. Zoro just scoffed.

"I've got more spirit than you could ever have," he stated, a triumphant and prideful grin splitting his face as he stared us down with no fear. "Which is how I'm going to survive this ordeal; this I swear!" he promised. I grinned and chuckled giddily at the conviction behind those words. Here he was tied up and waiting for some end of the month deal to pass probably with no food or water while getting beaten if those marks were any indication and he didn't seem to be wavering whatsoever! I was excited at the thought of him joining our crew. Not only was he a badass who could rock a bandanna like yours truly but he had conviction and strength to spare. I could tell he was strong in more than just body. Luffy laughed curtly and I could tell he was thinking along the same lines.

"Hah, what a weirdo!" he exclaimed making a funny face then turning to leave. I was about to join him when…

"Wait," he called after us. I turned to face him at the same time Luffy did. His eyes found mine and he seemed to be questioning something. He gulped. "Hey bunny…were those rice balls…any good?" he asked. I smirked and nodded.

"Yeah. Just the right kind of sweetness although I would personally add Tabasco sauce next time." His eyes darted to the ground where the other rice ball had been stomped into the mud.

"Could you…pick that up for me?" he asked. Luffy's brows furrowed as he squatted down to pick up the mess.

"You're going to eat this?" he asked incredulously. "Cuz, it's mostly a ball of mud!" I snorted.

"Like you're one to talk about eating weird things," I giggled.

"Shut-up and give it to me now!" Zoro shouted. I could see the slight insanity in his eye as the hunger he'd denied earlier came through. I smiled.

"Ya know, I think it's a good thing she put so much sugar in. If you just focus on the sweetness then you won't event notice the dirt," I laughed good heartedly. Luffy giggled some too as he picked up the rest and began feeding it to the hungry swordsman. He coughed some on the dirt and Luffy just shook his head with amusement.

"Ya should've listened to me," he sing sang mockingly. I snickered some as Zoro sighed with some relief.

"It was good," he muttered. "Thanks for the food!" We both smiled at the thanks, exchanged glances then started to head back towards the wall. Luffy laughed as we neared our exit.

"This guy's weird but awesome!" he stated. I nodded.

"Yup and strong willed and I've got a feeling he has a worthy dream he's fighting for too!"

"Yeah," Luffy agreed. "If we can check off just a few more things on our checklist, I believe we'll have our swordsman!" I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup and our first mate!"

* * *

"Really!?" the little girl – whom we'd learned was named Rika – exclaimed with pride and happiness on her face.

"Yup," my brother nodded his head. "He ate every last grain of rice there was!" She folded her hands and turned away happily in thought.

"That's great!" she said. I nodded in agreement while meanwhile, Coby was looking unsure of himself. He finally sighed.

"I wonder if Zoro is as evil as everyone thinks that he is?" he muttered. However, Rika seemed to hear it.

"He's not!" she protested whirling around to face him defiantly. Then she looked down sadly at her shoes. Luffy and I exchanged glances before we turned back towards Rika. "He's good," she continued. "Because…he got himself punished for us." Luffy leaned over on the barrel he was sitting on.

"You're uh…you're making no sense," he stated bluntly. I rolled my eyes at him and flipped some of my red locks – as I was currently in human form – from my face.

"You're really dense aren't you?" I muttered. "It's clearly got something to do with whatever deal he's got going on between himself and that stupid prepped up daddy's boy." Luffy snorted at my choice in names. Rika giggled.

"Yeah actually, you're right about that…it's that stupid Helmeppo's fault," she said sadly. I snorted again and tried to stifle the loud laughter trying to escape me. That name combined with those clothes and his brattiness and all I could picture was some cartoon flower high on something not legal in most countries.

"He's the son of Captain Morgan," she continued to explain regardless of my not so subtle interruption. "Naturally that means he gets what he wants all the time by exerting his own power and using his father's name to scare the townspeople." I cocked my head to the side out of curiosity.

"So is this Captain Marty guy some kind of island tyrant or something cuz that's basically what I'm getting from all of this." Rika just nodded.

"It's Captain Morgan," Coby corrected me again that day and I just turned to him and grinned to let him know I was butchering his name on purpose.

"I guess you could say that," Rika explained. "He's really terrifying and if you don't follow his orders however ridiculous they may seem then he'll execute you right away. Because of this fear, Helmeppo's thrived on our fear because it suits his own personal needs. He thinks he's some kind of prince who can do whatever he wants and meanwhile no one's brave enough to stand up to either of them." I nodded starting to understand just what kind of situation this place was in. I didn't know about Luffy but now I felt reluctant to leave Coby here with some madman who might just shoot down his self-esteem even further than it'd already had by Alvida.

"So it was really no surprise that when Helmeppo got himself a wold for a new pet, he came into town to terrorize the people. He came into my mom's tavern with it and it started to frighten the customers and go after their food. I tried to get it to stop by hitting it with a broom and Helmeppo didn't like that so he was going to let it eat me. But then Zoro threw a bar stool at it and it fell unconscious. Helmeppo got scared and turned his sword on Zoro but Helmeppo recognized him and tried to attack when he wouldn't give him a straight answer. Zoro got Helmeppo's sword stuck in the ceiling and punched Helmeppo in the face without any fear telling him to stop being annoying!"

"Good for him," I mock clapped and cheered. In my opinion it was about time someone had scared the shit out of the pretty boy. My respect for Zoro only grew and Rika smiled at my support for him.

"Yeah," she agreed. "After that though, Helmeppo threatened mine and my mom's lives and decided to strike a deal with Zoro. If he could survive one month in the crucifixion yard in our place then we'd all be set free. He agreed and surrendered his swords then the Marines took him away." She paused and looked at the wall she was facing without really seeing it.

"It's been three weeks since that day," she continued silently. "Helmeppo keeps punching and kicking him while he's tied up. He's being so unfair! I don't…I don't know how to help him…" the girl shuddered placing her face into her hands and started to cry. Coby looked down at his shoes.

"I see why you're upset," he admitted. He then turned to me with saddened eyes. "Is this what you meant when you said some marines aren't as good as we think?" The pleading look in his eyes nearly broke my heart. It was his dream to join the marines and here they were showing how horrible they could be. It was true that Luffy and I hadn't decided to become marines as per our Grandfather's instructions but even we knew that although sometimes they were cruel and unjust as the government ordered them to be, some were the opposite like our Grandfather and knew how to serve and protect the people from the bad pirates and bandits who didn't care for human safety. It was a rough cruel world and nobody could survive it unless they were willing to take the bad with the good.

Suddenly a loud crash echoed from across the street. Instinctually, I ran ahead, taking on my bunny hybrid form to get there faster in order to see what was happening. Once inside the doorway of the tavern I felt my insides churn at the sight of the snotty daddy's boy – what's his name again – Helm-Hippo? Sure let's go with that. He had shoved aside some glasses and cutlery onto the floor from one of the tables and he was now lounged back on the chair with two legs on the floor and his feet up on the table in a fruit basket with no respect whatsoever. If this had been big sis Makino's bar back home I would've shown no restraint.

"I'm hungry! Bring us whatever you've got and keep the check for yourself!" he demanded. He chuckled annoyingly. "And bring me a bottle of your best moon shine or whatever crap you serve!" He continued laughing and I gritted my teeth together trying to hold myself back. But should I really? I mean it would be all too easy for me to walk up and kick his stupid chair out from under him so he'd land on his hiney. I smirked at the image of the complaining brat before I kicked right in the…

Suddenly I was aware of a pair of eyes on me. I turned my head in the direction of another table and my eyes fell on a girl with orange hair in a pixie cut. She had a fancy drink with an orange slice on the rim and was looking at me in utter disbelief. I smirked and waved at her, causing her to blush and turn away quickly to avoid my gaze. I chuckled light heartedly as I transformed into my human form again to avoid any more weird looks for the time being. Just then my brother came in followed by Rika and Coby and they found me in the establishment before taking their places beside me to watch the show.

"I'm trying to think of something interesting to do seeing as how I'm bored out of my skull here," he admitted, making conversation with no one in particular but rather letting the whole tavern know what he was thinking. He suddenly burst out laughing. "I suppose I could just execute Zoro!" Then he burst out into a sickening cackle. I noticed Luffy's expression darken beside me and then we both acted on instinct.

It wasn't long before we were both running up to Helm-Hippo and punching slash kicking him in the face with a good portion of our strength which sent him flying into the wall. With the extra force added from my kick he was able to make a dent with his head and I'm surprised he didn't fall unconscious right then and there. That would've been fun because; oh the things I could draw on his face. Yeah, not the best revenge tactic but satisfying all the same. Helm-Hippo looked up at us very shocked and frightened.

"You two…you just hit me!" he exclaimed. Coby suddenly ran up behind Luffy trying to hold him back.

"Luffy; Allen no! You can't hit him!" he cried in protest. However we weren't really listening.

"This guy is scum!" he spat out enraged. Coby surprisingly was doing well keeping him held back.

"You actually hit me!" Helm-Hippo repeated.

"Well technically I kicked you with my foot," I stated nonchalantly. He glared up at us with fright and anger.

"I am Captain Morgan's son you know!" he tried to threaten us. Luffy just scoffed.

"Yeah, like we care!" he retorted.

"You'll care after he executes you for this!" Helm-Hippo shrieked back. God; and I thought Coby was annoying. Nope, this guy is absolutely worse.

"Heh, he's welcome to try," I challenged. "We're not just pushovers ya know! We're stronger than we look!"

"Why don't you just be a man and fight!?" Luffy growled.

"Luffy, Allen why don't you guys just ease off some; why're you trying to get on the Marine's bad side?!" Coby pleaded. Luffy then straightened so he didn't have to hold him back anymore.

"I've made up my mind!" he said. I smirked knowing this would happen. "Today…Zoro joins our crew!" He clenched a fist at Helm-Hippo and feigned attacking again causing the crybaby to flinch and shriek in fright. Meanwhile, his Marine body guards didn't know just what to do. However, despite his frightened state, Helm-Hippo attempted to threaten us again.

"Oh yeah well underestimating my daddy's the last mistake you'll ever make! Maybe…" his eyes widened with a mischievous light. "Ahem…that is to say…why don't we make a deal? In order to protect these guilty bystanders from my daddy's wrath; we string you two up next to Zoro for a month and if you make it…"

"Pass," we said immediately in unison.

"Hey, you didn't even let me finish!" he exclaimed angrily. I just shrugged nonchalantly while Luffy chuckled darkly in his direction.

"Thanks but no thanks. I don't feel like going a month without food." I chuckled myself.

"Besides; we can always do one better…" I paused letting that sink in. "If Marty gets in our way; we'll just kick his ass; sound fair?"

"W-what?" Helm-Hippo stuttered with fright. "Y-you wouldn't dare go against the Marines!" he tried to reason. With that my brother let his head fall back and a raucous laughter escaped into the air of the tavern. Everyone exchanged nervous glances as he and even I lost ourselves to laughter. By the time I brought myself around I was breathing so heavily I had to take a moment to compose myself. Meanwhile, Luffy had made it back to speaking capability.

"Of course we would," he stated defiantly. "We're pirates!" Everyone in the room froze. The atmosphere immediately shifted and Coby nervously turned to whisper to me.

"Was that really the best idea," he asked. I shrugged.

"If Luffy hadn't said it I would've," I replied. "It'll be fine." We waited for any response and we eventually got one.

"P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-pirates!?" Helm-Hippo exclaimed with utter shock written on his face. We nodded as he immediately stood and pointed to us. "M-my daddy's definitely going to hear about this!" he screamed then turned towards his guards.

"Hurry up and get me out of here before they go crazy!" he demanded. Then with a quick and frightened 'Yes sir!' from the guards, he was immediately ushered out the door and towards the marine base. I meanwhile cocked an eyebrow at their departure and turned to Luffy.

"You'd think he'd at least attempt to capture us himself with his kind of ego but no…" I said. Luffy just laughed out loud.

"Yeah; guess he's not too bright after all!" He turned to meet my eyes. "Alrighty then…let's go get us a demon swordsman!" he exclaimed. And with that we left the tavern; the people still gaping wide with either horror or amusement as we went over the spectacle that'd just occurred and made our way back towards the execution yard holding our first crewmate.

* * *

We stood before the swordsman again. He seemed to be asleep for the moment but our presence must've woken him. He snapped out of whatever dream he'd been having and lifted his gaze to meet ours. I was grinning from ear to ear while Luffy just stared straight at him with a smile. Zoro's frown deepened.

"Tch, you again! Don't you have better things to do?" he demanded to know.

"I'll untie you but only if you promise to join my crew!" Luffy stated matter of factly. I nearly face palmed at the idea of my brother trying to untie a marine knot he'd never bothered to learn whenever Grampa had visited.

"Your what?" the swordsman demanded.

"I run a pirate crew and I'm looking for people to join up," he explained as he walked closer. Zoro gritted his teeth in annoyance at him as he approached.

"No way!" he replied bluntly. "I'd never stoop to joining up with a criminal; screw that business!" Luffy's brows furrowed in thought.

"What's wrong with being a pirate?" he demanded back catching Zoro off guard.

"They're despicable, like I'd ever wanna join up with one," he retorted.

"Uh, that'd be two," I said from behind my brother giving a wave to let him know I was there too.

"So?" Zoro scoffed.

"Oh come on, gimme a break!" Luffy spoke up. "Everybody already knows you as some vicious bounty hunter always out for blood," he pointed out.

"People can say whatever they want about me but I've never done a single thing in my life that I regret," he stated. Then he grinned prideful at us. "I will make it through this challenge; and after that, I'll accomplish what I want!" Luffy blinked and I got giddy internally. Oh yeah, we'd just found the most badass swordsman ever! He was definitely joining our crew. Luffy blinked again.

"Yeah…that's great," he said slowly then turned to the side in thought with a smile on his face. "But I've already decided that you're going to be a part of our crew!" Zoro reacted angrily.

"What; you can't do that!" he shouted at him. I snickered to the side.

"Sorry but once he's made up his mind there's no changing it," I said. He just glowered at us both. I laughed joyously.

"We hear you're one of the best swordsmen around," Luffy said getting Zoro's attention. He paused a moment before replying.

"Well I am!" he exclaimed. "But that idiot Captain's son took mine away!"

"Guess I'll just have to go it back for ya!" suggested Luffy. I snickered at how quickly he'd already decided upon that course of action.

"What!?" Zoro exclaimed. Then a shit eating grin appeared on Luffy's face.

"So if you want your sword, you're just going to have to join my crew!"

"Now you're really pissing me off!" Zoro yelled. However, Luffy paid him no mind and started running off to get the swords. We both just stared after him me being unamused; Zoro being confused as hell.

"Wait; is he really going to bust in there alone? (Pause) Um he's…" he tried to tell me. I sighed.

"I know; I know. This always happens." I cupped my hands to the side of my mouth and shouted after him. "Hey dumbass; you're going the wrong way!" Luffy stuttered to an almost halt; turned midway; caught sight of the building then said, "Whoops" and shot his arms out from where he stood, latching onto the first thing he grabbed. Zoro's eyes were practically bugging out of his skull as he watched him rocket himself from one end of the yard to the other in the direction of the building.

"Wait…wha…what the hell is he!?" he exclaimed turning to me for the answer. I grinned wide enough that my eyes were being squeezed shut.

"A rubber man," I said simply. Zoro was at a loss for words and I laughed at his dumbstruck expression as I sat down near his feet. He gazed at me questioningly.

"You're not going with him?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Meh, he can handle it," I replied. "Bullets can't hurt him and he's a strong fighter; we both are. I just hope he doesn't take too long!"

"Right," Zoro agreed absent mindedly. Then after a brief pause…

"Is he really going to try and force me into joining your stupid pirate crew?" he asked unamused. I looked up at him with some mock hurt in my eyes.

"Stupid?" I asked. "There's nothing stupid about being a pirate!"

"Oh please; you pillage and plunder and don't give a damn about others just so long as you get what you want. Isn't that how it works?" he asked. I snorted and broke into laughter.

"Sure, I guess that's how the stereotype works," I admitted. "But…there's more to being a pirate than all that."

"Yeah? Like what?" I turned to him with a smile then leaned back on my hands and glanced up to the sky just as a nice breeze blew through the execution yard. My eyes remained fixated on the clouds as I spoke next.

"Freedom," I breathed out. "It's the freedom to do what you want; whenever you want with no worries and no regrets whatsoever. To follow your dreams, fighting tooth and nail to make them come true until the day you die. That's what being a pirate means." I could sense Zoro's questioning eyes on me, judging what I'd just said. He looked up into the sky with me.

"That's quite the definition," he stated. I nodded. "Do you think…if I joined you…I could follow my own ambition?" I smiled.

"Of course!" I replied. "We heard about what you did for those people and how strong willed you are. I also saw how determined you were when we were here earlier. You've been here almost a full month in the heat with barely anything to eat or drink; trying to survive in order to uphold your honour and eventually push past to achieve your own dream. Once we knew what kind of person you were, Luffy decided to make you our firstmate and Swordsman." There was another pause in conversation.

"Why'd you set sail?" he asked quietly. I looked down at my feet as I remembered every reason I had for being here. Then I looked up again.

"Well, when I was little; my parents didn't really love me but my Grandparents adored me and they got me started on hearing stories of adventurers called pirates. Of course my parents eventually found out and to avoid me from having my mind 'poisoned' by their storytelling, they ordered us to be separated forever. Doing so made them die later."

"Woah, harsh," he commented. I nodded.

"Before then, I made a promise to them that I would free myself from the prison I was cursed to live in someday. I did it one day and saved someone's life too. After that, I ran away from home forever and that's how I found Luffy. His family took me in and I was raised with them for the past few years. During those years, we made another promise together that we plan on keeping. Then just a few days ago we set sail!" Zoro's eyes widened considerably.

"You mean you guys are just starting out?" he asked. I nodded. Then I grinned, reaching to my compass around my neck and held it up to show him. I opened it up and he watched as the needle spun rapidly around in dizzying circles until he couldn't follow with his eyes any more.

"That's an odd compass," he stated. I nodded, looking down at it admiringly.

"It's a gift from my grandfather called a mystic. They're legendary magical artifacts capable of miracles and disasters. I plan to sail with my brother on his quest and find as many of these as I can! Once we get a larger crew and a suitable ship, we'll sail to the Grand Line."

"Grand Line huh? That's a pretty dangerous place to be ya know?" I nodded.

"Yeah and it's also filled with adventures just waiting for us. I can't wait to see what kind of mystics are out there too." Another pause in conversation!

"So, do you really think I should join?" he asked. I smirked.

"Depends…" I started then turned to give him a sly smile. "…will you regret 'not' joining?" I seemed to have surprised him yet again. I giggled at his expression then looked up over towards the building before completely deadpanning.

"Huh? What's with that look?" he asked. I simply pointed towards one of the Base's highest points.

"It's just…if I hadn't known this Captain Marty was a tyrant before then I sure do now," I said pointing to what looked to be a statue of some man being hauled into a standing position. Zoro tsk'd with humour this time then snickered.

"Jeez, I'd have to say that thing's a crime against nature!" I giggled.

"Yeah, talk about egotistical much. If only someone were brave and stupid enough to knock him off his stupid pedestal." Just as I'd said it, the outline of a figure shot up from somewhere near the ground into the air and thanks to my sensitive hearing, I could hear him whooping with joy. We watched as it flew near the statue and caught onto something causing it to fall down with a mighty thud. I could hear the stone crack and we watched until it was blocked by some other buildings as the top half of the statue came hurtling down to smash against the ground creating a small tremor. Zoro glanced at me as I glanced at him and we grinned simultaneously.

"That'll work," he stated. I giggled.

"Yup!" I replied, popping the 'p'. I continued giggling as he turned his neck back around from the position he'd turned it to look. Then I heard a voice shout out from atop the tower and looked up. I couldn't see very well so I strained my ears to listen better. I heard them shouting about me being in the crucifixion yard and snickered as I discerned it was a marine. I leapt up onto my feet just as Coby showed up out of breath. I turned to him amused.

"Wow, I'm surprised," I stated. "We left you in town yet you ran all the way here, scaled the wall and leapt into the fray all by yourself!" Coby panted, leaning on his legs for support.

"I can't…stand….to see the marines…acting like this," he explained. "Now I'll…do what I believe is right!" I smiled at him proudly and wiped a fake tear dramatically from my left eye while sniffling for effect.

"Hic' they grow up so fast," I said. Coby just rolled his eyes at me then moved on to trying to untie the ropes holding Zoro to the post.

"Hurry Allen," he exclaimed. "We have to get Zoro out of here!" Zoro gritted his teeth.

"You idiots; you know I'm here for ten more days! That maniac's gonna kill you both and the other guy!" I laughed curtly as I approached the ropes.

"You do realize that we're plenty strong right? Otherwise why would we be out here if we weren't ready?" Then I remembered something as I began trying to untie the ropes. "Oh yeah, which reminds me; we have a minimal window of time because the Marines noticed we were down here and are probably ignoring my brother now to come down and shoot us instead!"

"What!?" Coby exclaimed. "You guys have already caused trouble!?" I snickered.

"Hey, we're pirates and even before that; we're down to the core troublemakers. It's a naturally bad habit."

"Uh hey; I'm supposed to be finishing a deal here!" Zoro exclaimed annoyed. "Leave me be; go get your friend and get outta here!"

"Why would we do that?" I asked matter of factly. Coby turned to me incredulously.

"You mean all this time and you never told him!?" I shrugged.

"It never really came up!" Coby paused to face palm before groaning and turning back to his knots.

"What? What're you supposed to be telling me?" Zoro demanded to know. I just shrugged again.

"Oh only that Helm-Hippo…"

"Helmeppo," Coby corrected. I rolled my eyes at him.

"…never actually planned on upholding his end of the deal and has decided to bump up your execution date to tomorrow although with Marty…"

"Morgan," Coby corrected again.

"…on the way, it might just end up being today; no biggie!"

"No biggie!?" Zoro shouted in my ear. "Don't you think you and your idiotic captain could've mentioned this a lot sooner!?" he demanded.

"First off, he's 'our' idiotic captain," I said emphasizing the 'our' to include him. "And secondly, that's just not how we usually operate sorry!" Zoro turned towards Coby for some help but the boy could only shrug and focus on his knots.

"Sorry, it's true. I've just learned to roll with it in the short time I've known them. They're also not very bad people," he stated. "When Helmeppo talked about you being executed openly in public, Luffy and Allen got so angry that Luffy Punched him and Allen kicked him in the face at the exact same time." I giggled at the memory.

"We made a dent in the nice lady's wall with his face," I remarked. Zoro blinked and turned to me.

"You…hit him in public like that? For my honour?" I nodded.

"You better believe we did. It was right then and there that Luffy decided you'd be on our crew too. You don't just go making up 'honorable' deals then butcher out the honour part. That pathetic welp isn't a man, he's a pussy! He's not even worth our time!" Zoro snickered some at my joke and shook his head.

"Out of all the people in the world; I always wind up running into the crazy ones; I wonder why?" I laughed.

"Maybe it's because you're just as crazy as the rest of us?" I suggested. "Then again, I don't mind a little crazy. It keeps this world interesting!" I nodded with assertion. Coby meanwhile chuckled beside me.

"Yeah. I guess I have to agree. If I hadn't met Luffy or Allen and if they hadn't been as crazy as they are…I'd probably still be stuck as a cowardly cabin boy." I laughed again.

"But you still are a coward," I laughed heartily.

"I'm working on it!" he hissed back eliciting a hearty laugh from Zoro.

"Yeah ok, the world needs crazy; I get it!" he said. We laughed together as we continued on with our knots.

"You know what else is crazy?" Coby suddenly asked. We turned to him. "It's that Neither Allen or Luffy know how to do much of anything. I mean…I've seen them fight before and I know they're strong but…" he looked to Zoro here. "You have a lot of strength you can offer both of them! While they're the only ones here who can really save you from execution, you're the only one who can save them from a similar fate."

"Unless we used you as a human meat shield," I stated morbidly. Coby paled considerably as I let out a good laugh. "Heh, sorry; I was joking…although…"

"Would you just focus on untying your end!?" Coby snapped. I let my hands fall away from my already untied knots and Zoro's left arm was free. He brought it around and started to move it about to get some feeling back into it while Coby just stared agape.

"How…what…when…?" he stuttered. I just grinned cheekily, sweeping a loose strand of red hair out of my face. He just turned back to his knot grumbling. However, my ears picked up on the clicking of guns and I turned with a gasp as a gruff voice spoke up.

"End of the line!" it growled. Coby stopped what he was doing and Zoro turned to regard the newcomers, wide eyed. A big man with an axe in place of one of his arms came forth with a large firing squad looming like a ghost. I could tell the marines under his command were cowering within his presence. "For the crime of treason against me; I sentence you three to die where you stand!"

Coby's face read of terror; Zoro's not too far behind but with more frustration and anger too and mine just went blank. There was an uneven silence in the air before finally, the corners of my mouth twitched uncontrollably and I burst out laughing. It was a boisterous laugh; one usually only exhibited by my brother. However, I was not incapable of using it too. It unnerved the men and I could tell it really pissed off the axe-handed fellow. Coby was frightened and Zoro was – well – confused…again.

"And what pray tell is so damned funny!?" Marty demanded. However, I couldn't seem to pull myself together. It was just too damned funny the way I saw it. Thankfully I was able to catch my breath after too long. A long pleasing sigh escaped my lips along with some minor left over chuckles and giggles.

"Well?" he demanded again. I breathed and finally answered.

"I'm sorry…it's just…were 'you' actually planning on killing us or were you gonna send those other guys in instead?" I teased. Some of the marines shifted uncomfortably under my questioning. I was implying just that Marty was weak because he had to hide behind a firing squad just to kill three minor right now troublemakers. He'd have been safer just chasing Luffy around the base. I could see some veins becoming visible under the skin of his forehead as he tensed.

"You brat! What makes you think you can address me, the great Captain Morgan like that!? You impudent little worm!" he hollered at me. I just yawned and stretched, then gave him a side glance and a smirk.

"Oh I'm sorry; was there a 'proper' way to address you? I think I'm doing a sufficient job towards a guy who needs a giant ass statue and half a dozen men in one firing squad against three people! One of which if you haven't noticed is still tied up!" I could see that I was really getting on his nerves now. He growled at us.

"Is this your idea of a joke!?" he demanded. "Or…is this some kind of poorly executed coup that you three planned with the Straw Hat!?" Zoro just gritted his teeth.

"I've always fought alone like a real man does," he explained. "Not like a coward who hides behind a wall of his expendable cronies!" I smirked.

"Yeah and Luffy wouldn't even know what the hell a coup is anyways!" I retorted. Captain Marty glowered at me then turned towards Zoro.

"Roronoa Zoro," he growled. Then he turned to me. "And you as well little girl; don't underestimate me! You may be a strong fighter and a smart mouth…but under my authority you're just rats we threw out with the trash!" He raised a hand to command his men. "Take aim…" he told them. I just scoffed and got into a ready stance.

"Ya know Captain Marty…it'd be unwise to underestimate us as well. You have no idea what we're capable of!" Marty glowered more and was about to give the command to fire. Meanwhile behind me, Coby was shaking in his skin and Zoro looked frustrated and panicked as well. I looked about with my eyes wondering just where the hell our deflector shield could be.

"Fire!" cried the captain. I got ready, whipping out my dagger to see how many bullets I could fend off. Meanwhile, Zoro was attempting to untie his other arm with his free one. However, there was no need as at the same time, a window somewhere was broken and a body came hurtling towards me. I leapt to the side allowing him to land and the guns fired on us. I deflected the bullets away the way I'd learned how with my dagger and rabbit ears without getting hurt and Luffy…well he just let them hit him and they went as far as they could go before they sprang back out of his body leaving it unscathed.

"See ya!" he exclaimed jovially before bursting into a fit of giggles. "That won't work on me! I told ya I was strong" he laughed and I couldn't help but join in. Zoro then yelled at us; the near death experience probably shaking him a little though he refused to show it.

"You wanna tell me just who the hell you two are?!" he shouted angrily. Luffy turned to face him with a grin.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy…and I'm gonna be king of the pirates!" he declared proudly. I sniggered at Zoro's expression.

"And I'm his little sister, Bunny D. Allen! I'm a bunny girl if you didn't catch that by the way!" I giggled. Zoro was shocked but it wore off immediately as he glowered at Luffy and me.

"You're going to be King of the Pirates? Yeah right; you must be out of your rubbery mind!" he accused. "D'ya have any idea what that means?" I stared back amused with a light chuckle.

"Actually, he doesn't know what a lot of things mean," I pointed out. Luffy just shrugged.

"King of the pirates means king of the pirates; how could it mean anything other than that?" he replied; ignoring my comment. Coby's eyes meanwhile had become wide like saucers. I could tell he was giddy about being rescued a second time by the both of us. Meanwhile the marines remained silently stunned for the moment which worked for me.

"Yeah, when he and Allen first told me, it was completely shocking but he's completely serious! That's how he is I suppose; cuz he actually seems to have every intention of becoming King of the pirates and obtaining the world's ultimate treasure; the one piece!" Luffy grinned widely and chuckled at Zoro with pride from the younger boy's statement. Then Coby continued.

"And that's not all…Allen's his little sister and she's going to help him become King of the Pirates and find the legendary treasures known as Mystics! Apparently they're a pretty big deal too!" I grinned and laughed.

"Aw stop it; I'm blushing," I joked. "But anyways yeah, that's all true and because our dreams are so over the top crazy, we need people who're just as crazy to sail with us! In fact we have a position opened for a badass demon swordsman available!" I giggled at his expression and Luffy joined in. Finally he straightened and held out three swords towards the tied up swordsman.

"Here's what I promised you," he stated. "There's three! I couldn't tell which one was yours so I just took all of em!" Zoro's expression remained deadpanned as he stared back at my brother.

"All of them belong to me. I use Santoryu; the three swords style!" Luffy seemed impressed and I definitely knew I was even if Coby had told us this earlier. He smiled and held them closer.

"Take them already!" he pressed. "Just know that if you fight with us now you'll be a government defying villain! So it's either that or you're left out here and killed by the marines execution style!" There was a moment of pause before Zoro smirked allowing it to grow into a grin of amusement.

"What are you the son the devil? It doesn't matter…cuz if I don't choose your side I'll just end up dead on these sticks! So let's do it!"

"Ha, ha! So you're finally going to join our crew! This is the best thing ever!" Luffy cheered then entered into a sort of happy dance with Zoro's swords while I whooped and hollered with excitement. Zoro just rolled his eyes in annoyance and swiped one of his swords from Luffy's hand to cut the rest of the ropes off of him. After that, Coby helped him stand with him only staggering a bit before standing upright. Honestly I was expecting him to collapse with nothing but that rice ball earlier having given him some strength. Meanwhile, I could hear the Marines still in shock and a plan had formulated within my mind.

I used the celebrating Luffy as cover to transform then made a mad rabbit dash towards the guards who stood staring at my brother still. While they wondered what he was, Captain Marty explained the properties of devil fruits to his men and I went to work. Once I was done and Captain Marty was ordering his men to use swords instead of bullets, I scampered back to our little group. I transformed back into my hybrid state to watch the show.

While some marines made it to where we stood with swords raised where they were immediately blocked by Zoro – which was totally cool by the way – the rest I'd tampered with tripped over their pants that'd fallen down without their belts holding them up. Luffy burst out laughing at their expense then turned to me.

"That's too funny!" he exclaimed. I giggled.

"Well they seemed a little uptight so I decided to help with that!" Luffy laughed while Zoro threatened the marines who immediately began to cower in fear. Then he turned towards us with a dead serious gaze.

"Today I officially become a criminal having fought the marines so I'll become a pirate! That I can promise you" he stated. "But I want you to know one thing!" he glanced between me and Luffy. "While I'm with you, the only thing I dedicate myself to is fulfilling my ambition!"

"Which is?" Luffy pressed. I had a pretty good idea what it might be but I didn't say anything.

"To be nothing less than the world's greatest swordsman!" he proclaimed. "If somewhere along the way, I have to give that up then I want you to accept responsibility. After which you get to apologize to me!" The threat may have been more threatening if Luffy and I hadn't been smiling. He hummed in thought.

"The world's greatest swordsman huh?" he turned to me and I nodded with a grin.

"Sounds perfect!" I agreed. Luffy nodded before turning back to him.

"The King of the Pirates wouldn't have anything less than the best on his crew!" Zoro smirked.

"Big talker," he tsk'd. "From this point on no matter if I'm a criminal or not; I will spread the name Zoro throughout the world!" We all smirked and smiled at one another. Then Marty's voice rose with anger and ruined the moment.

"What're you idiots doing standing around frozen and tripping over your trousers for!?" he demanded to know. "I want you to kill all four of them right now!" The marines tensed and I stepped back knowing exactly what my brother was planning to do.

"You might wanna duck," he warned Zoro. Zoro not entirely getting it looked back at his new captain questioningly. " **Gum, Gum…** " he let his leg fly and stretch and Zoro on instinct and sense of pre-warning, ducked as it swept over him and knocked every marine down. " **Whip!** " he cried at the exact same time leaving a gaping mouthed Marty to stare at his men.

"Yes!" Coby cheered. "You knocked them all down!" Zoro stood up smirking.

"Jeez, you really are a rubber man aren't you?" he asked deciding to finally accept what he was seeing as reality. Luffy chuckled allowing his leg to snap back and spring up and down in place. He chortled.

"That's what happens when you eat the Gum, Gum fruit!" he exclaimed. Zoro just rolled his eyes. Suddenly we heard a yell and turned to see the men who'd reclaimed their trousers coming straight for me. I rolled my own pair of eyes at their idiocy and grinned as I maintained my bunny hybrid form. I got a running start then slid along the ground like a baseball player and knocked them all off their feet, rolling the last three men into a tangled ball in the air like a wheel with my large rabbit feet before kicking them away from me so they landed right at Marty's feet groaning. I got up and cheered.

"Strike!" I claimed making Luffy laugh and cheer for me. The rest of the marines just gaped at us.

"A rubber person?" questioned one.

"And a human rabbit?" questioned another one.

"It looks as though they do have the devil fruit's power," Marty exclaimed. The marines shivered.

"Captain, we don't stand a chance against them," one man said.

"Yeah, just look at them, they're insane!" exclaimed another one.

"We couldn't even take on Zoro by himself!" another pointed out. I heard every word of complaining from them even as I skipped back over to our group and high fived my brother. As I turned to face the marines ready for more – particularly from Captain Marty himself – I could see that Marty didn't look happy at all.

"This is a direct order!" he declared. "Every marine that spouted weakness pull your gun out and shoot yourself! I can't do anything with weak soldiers!" At this I could see that some of the marines were on their last straws with this so called 'great' captain of theirs. Meanwhile, I was all fired up within. What gave him the right to just through away a person's life because they were weaker than what his expectations were? What gave him the right to rule as a tyrant just because he was put in charge of this base? Oh how a part of me wished Gramps were here so he could show him what it means to be a real marine. However, he's not, so I guess I'll have to do. And so just like that, I was racing straight for Captain Marty and leaping up over his head. He and the other marines were surprised to say the least about my sudden burst of speed.

"Oh yeah," I hollered in midair. "If that's the way you think then you're nobody's captain!" I finished with a mighty kick that sent Marty down to kiss the ground. It didn't knock him out though and so once I was done, I did a midair flip to land on the ground beside him then hopped out of the way, bouncing on the balls of my feet ready for a fight. He got up like I'd expected, the marines who'd been surrounding him scurrying back out of his way. I glared at him as he turned to glare at me, neither one of us backing down.

"What was that you brat?" he growled at me.

"You heard me," I retorted. He seemed to have had enough so he raised his axe hand in the air and roared.

"You're about to see what happens when you decide to cross me!" He roared. As he came at me, I leapt out of the way and he missed by a hare – heh, get it…by a hare? Anyways I landed on the upper flat side of his giant axe hand before kneeing him in the chin. I leapt up and over his head becoming a full on bunny before landing delicately on his noggin. He growled and was about to catch me.

"Don't hit the bunny," I sing sang. Unknown to its meaning Captain Marty reached up and grabbed my ears but before he do anything remotely punishing, a rubbery fist hit him square in the jaw knocking him back. I jumped off his head becoming a hybrid again and high fived my brother once more.

"Rankless, lowlife bums!" he roared as he got back up and threw off his Captain's coat. "You have no right to defy my superiority! I am Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan!" I nodded.

"I'm Allen," I said.

"And I'm Luffy," my brother added.

"Nice ta meet ya!" we spoke in unison then got ready. He came at us swinging his giant axe which we dodged out of the way of. He spun around to do a follow up on us but we dodged again before his axe could connect and instead he left a large crack in the ground. I scoffed. Our Grandpa was definitely way stronger than this punk ass wannabe. Luffy from his position in midair, sent a double footed kick to Marty's face sending him rolling back before Luffy landed on the ground. Meanwhile I came down and pushed off of his shoulders, sending him forward to kiss dirt again. He growled at us.

"You runt…" he growled as he raised his axe hand. "…now die he exclaimed, bringing the axe down towards Luffy but he spun in midair out of the way.

"I don't think so," he said before sending a kick to the side of Marty's head. As he came over in my direction, I simply swept my leg under him causing him to fall down again.

"Whoops, my bad," I spoke with mock sarcasm. I bounded away before he could try and cut me with his axe.

"The Captain's getting pummeled out there," one of the marines spoke in awe. I snickered. Now on his back, Marty tried to sit up but my brother immediately got over him, hauling him up some by the scruff of his shirt.

"Call yourself a marine?" he demanded. "You destroyed my friend Coby's dream!" he shouted. He then started to punch Marty in the face.

"Straw Hat; Bunny! Stop right there! Look at what I've got!" shouted an annoying voice I'd recognize anywhere. I looked up from the entertainment that was my brother punching Marty to see Helm-Hippo holding a gun to Coby's head. However Luffy kept punching him.

"Are you stupid or something; I said stop!" He hollered at us. "If you'd pay attention to me I have a hostage here you might wanna look at!" I just gave him a dead panned expression. It wasn't that I didn't care for Coby who was now shaking like a leaf, but it was more a matter of…was he really serious? Judging by the way his knees were shaking I didn't think he'd have the guts but then again some people are capable of doing crazy things when enhanced with fear.

"Helmeppo's crazy," one of the guards whispered. Zoro turned to look at me and I nudged Luffy.

"Yo, someone's being an idiot and it's not you," I exclaimed. Luffy stood up slowly, glancing over towards the hostage situation – if it could be called that.

"If you value your scrawny little friend's life you won't move a muscle!" he screamed at us, the gun shaking in his hand. "I'm serious! One move and I'll shoot him, I swear!" We just stared at the spectacle without a trace of emotion on our faces. I could see Coby shaking pretty bad. He looked to us and Luffy gave him a smile as I smiled and waved. He stopped shivering for a split second, realization dawning on him before he became serious – though he still shivered with fright.

"Luffy, Allen listen!" he called to us. "Don't let anything that happens to me stop you no matter what! Even if I die!" Luffy just grinned then started circling his arm about getting ready for what he was gonna do next. I simply shook my head at his one track mindedness.

"Of course, you got it!" he exclaimed. "Ya hear that ya big idiot? Coby is ready to die by your hand!" He began walking closer towards his target but not too much. Meanwhile, while I was distracted, I'd let my guard down, we both had and my ears twitched as I heard movement.

I whirled around too late as Marty grabbed me in a chokehold with one arm and muffled my curses with his sweaty hand – gross by the way! Then I watched in frustration as he loomed up behind Luffy. I could transform into my bunny form but then I'd be crushed by his overbearing weight and that form just wasn't strong enough yet. I kicked and scratched. I could barely hear when Coby screamed out his warning to Luffy. I watched as Zoro reacted to Marty raising his axe hand and shouting about how great he was out of the corner of my eye, and then Luffy let his Gum, Gum pistol fly.

What happened next was too quick for my mind to comprehend at the moment. First, I noticed Zoro approaching with incredible speed and I reacted at just the right time to avoid being cut as I transformed into a bunny and slipped out of Marty's suddenly lax grip and all at the same time Luffy had punched Helm-Hippo before he got a chance to shoot Coby. All was silent for but a moment as I reclaimed hybrid form kneeling on one knee.

"Nice one!" Luffy commented as Marty began to fall over. Once his arm returned he turned to glance at Zoro. "Thank you!" I nodded turning to face him fully with a smile.

"Yeah, you're truly a 'cut' above the rest," I commented with a giggle. Zoro tsk'd with amusement at us both.

"I'm just doing my job…Captain," he replied. Now that sounded cool and Luffy's grin was in agreement with my own. With that, Zoro sheathed his swords and we all turned to face the shocked marines while Coby tried to gain control of his heartrate. I turned back into my human form and faced them with a smile.

"Captain Morgan's been beaten!" one marine exclaimed.

"Unbelievable, those guys are unreal," another one said. Zoro looked out to the gathered marines.

"If there's anyone who wants to step forward to fight us, do it now," he stated. However, the marines had a different idea. They threw up their caps and weapons into the air and started to celebrate their newfound freedom. I couldn't help laughing with them. Luffy seemed confused.

"That's weird, it looks like they're all happy that their captain was beaten," he stated.

"That is if he could even be called a proper captain," I added then shook my head.

"They must've been afraid of him for a really long time before we showed up!" exclaimed an ecstatic Coby. Suddenly movement caught my eye and I turned just in time to see Zoro falling to the ground. Coby went into panic mode again.

"Zoro! Are you okay; what's wrong!?" he asked hurriedly. Zoro just cracked his eyes open to stare up into the sky.

"I'm just…hungry," he said weakly. I burst out laughing

"Ha, no kidding!" I exclaimed getting Luffy to join in. After our bout of amusement, we bent down and lifted Zoro up with Coby's help before heading off from the base to a food joint in town. To be fairly honest though, I was feeling quite hungry myself.

* * *

"Whoo, I am stuffed!" Zoro exclaimed happily with a smile on his face. "Having not eaten for three weeks, I was ready to gnaw through my bootstraps!" This comment elicited a few giggles and chuckles from the people who'd decided to watch us.

"Humph, I can't believe you're finished," said Luffy with his mouth full. "Lightweight!" Zoro frowned and pointed at the many more dishes on mine and Luffy's side of the table.

"How the hell can you have a bigger appetite than a guy who hasn't eaten in weeks?" he demanded to know. Luffy kept chewing as I swallowed what I was eating.

"Ever hear of the rubber man with the expandable stomach?" I asked with a cocked eyebrow. Zoro blinked then leaned back in his chair.

"Yeah, well I guess that makes sense…" he paused then leaned forward again pointing to me. "But what about you, surely rabbits don't normally have that big of an appetite either!" He stated accusingly. I just laughed.

"Yeah well our Gramps taught us how to eat a lot when we can. I mean if you saw how much Luffy eats compared to our whole family combined then you'd agree that the rest of us are pretty normal." Zoro just blinked then shook his head as I stuffed something else – don't really know what but don't really care – into my mouth. Then I spoke while I was chewing. "Awso, is besht ta pwac-tice gwabbwing wat oo cawn fowr dinnrr shins e shows no restwaint awnd gwabs wha-evwer e can! (Also, it's best to practice grabbing what you can for dinner since he shows no restraint and grabs whatever he can)".

"Right," Zoro said starting to somewhat rethink over just what he'd gotten himself in for. Luffy just shrugged.

"It tastes good anyways; right Coby!" Luffy spoke through his food. Coby laughed nervously.

"Uh yeah, it's great!" he agreed. "Thanks for mixing it for us," he thanked Rika's mom. She smiled and nodded.

"My pleasure," she said. "After all, you guys did save the town!" I smiled and then looked over to Rika who had come to our table. She was looking up at Luffy in wonder.

"You're the most amazing man I've ever met!" she exclaimed.

"Heh, yeah I am, I know," Luffy replied. "I'll be even more amazing when I'm king of the pirates and I have the one piece." He turned to Zoro and smiled brighter. "Oh and the best crew on the seas!" he added. I laughed.

"So, how many others have you gathered for your crew besides me and your sister?" Zoro asked. Luffy took another bite of his meal and looked up at Zoro confused.

"You told me you guys are in the middle of gathering a crew for your ship and if you're gonna be king of the pirates then you've gotta have some waiting in the wing." Luffy swallowed and went in for another bite.

"Nope, just you and Allen," he said shocking Zoro. He turned to me. I nodded.

"I did mention we just started our journey a few days ago," I reminded him. "So you're not only our first swordsman but you're also our first mate!" He thought about it for a minute before sighing.

"Okay yeah, I suppose all crews have to start somewhere but you mean to tell me you didn't find anyone else in your hometown who wanted to set sail with you?" Luffy just shook his head.

"We wanted to start small and build our way up," he stated. I nodded.

"Yeah, besides where we come from, the majority of society are pompous assholes, others are too broken, old or crazy – in the bad way; Luffy's got a reputation and I'm supposed to be dead!" A long silence stretched out for a bit with Luffy continuing to eat not having heard a word I'd said. Zoro just shook his head while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Ya know, I'm not even gonna ask," he muttered to himself.

"Okay," I said cheerily finishing up my meal. He shook his head.

"Okay, so at least please tell me you guys have a ship!" Luffy nodded pointing out the window that showed the docks and our dingy proudly tied up within the harbor.

"Sure do, it's right there!" he said. Zoro got up to take a better look and immediately deadpanned.

"You're kidding!" he said to no one in particular.

"Nope, but we'll have an enormous one before long! Just you wait and see!" Luffy piped up.

"Besides our first one sank because 'someone'…" I emphasized turning immediately to Luffy. "Decided to fall asleep on the job and got us stuck in a whirlpool!" Luffy just broke out into wild laughter as did Zoro.

"And how…pray tell…are we going to get a ship like that!?" Zoro laughed. Luffy wasn't even paying attention as he was lost in thought.

"With a great big pirate flag on top!" he exclaimed. I shook my head at him as I tried to calm myself down.

"I think we should just worry about that detail when it's more important. For now, let's just get someone who can actually get us places!" I said. Luffy turned to me excitedly.

"So the Navigator's next?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yes; that's our main priority!" I replied. "I blatantly refuse to let you near a compass or a sea chart!" I crossed my arms in defiance. Luffy just laughed.

"Oh boy, I can't wait!" he said giddily. Zoro just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Coby meanwhile just chuckled nervously.

"I actually think that Luffy was born without that part of the brain that allows the rest of us to plan out what we have to do!" I turned to him with surprise.

"Really?" I asked. "Me too!" I grinned. Zoro meanwhile just sighed.

"I can't believe I let myself get suckered into having 'him' as my captain!" I laughed again.

"Trust me Zoro. You may be the first but you certainly won't be the last!" I said laughing as I did so.

"Hey, she's right; we'll have a ton more crew members in no time!" Luffy put more food into his mouth and continued eating.

"Luffy," Rika suddenly piped up. He turned to regard her. "Where are you and your crew planning on travelling when you leave here?" she asked brightly. I braced myself for what my brother was about to say and the complaining fit we'd get from Coby no doubt.

"You mean it's not obvious?" he asked. "We're heading straight for the Grand Line!" I couldn't help but laugh as Coby suddenly squirted orange juice out his nose and mouth in surprise at Luffy's statement.

"What have you completely lost your mind? You only have three crew members. There's no way you're equipped to handle the Grand Line Luffy!" Luffy turned to him, curiosity peaked and Rika's too.

"I've heard about it, but I never knew that it was such an awful place!"

"It's worse than you think!" he retorted having wiped away the Orange Juice. Luffy turned to me.

"Hey Allen, is it really that bad?" he asked, seeking knowledge from my traveling days. I just shrugged.

"Only if you're not strong enough to handle it," I replied. I then sat back in thought. "After all, since the time of the previous King of the Pirates, many Pirates have laid claim to certain territories of the Grand Line along with the world Government. Not to mention the climate there isn't like the climates you know here. Plus regular compasses won't work there either. You have to get these special ones called Log Poses and only a really skilled Navigator can make it through those seas." Coby seemed surprised.

"Wow you seem to know more about it than I do Allen," he said. I turned to him with a smile.

"Of course! When I was little I went on trips across the seas from my parent's home to my Grandparent's home which I would visit every few months. I might not know much about navigating but I do know that the Grand Line isn't to be taken lightly. In fact, there are two parts to the Grand Line. The first half is referred to as Paradise while the second half is supposed to be a total nightmare and not just because that's where most of the big name pirates nowadays live." Coby gulped.

"I heard that some call it the pirate graveyard," he said with a shiver.

"I've heard stories about it from people passing through," Rika's mother stated. "The customers say that no one who's ever entered the Grand Line has ever come out of that place alive!" I laughed some.

"Actually some pirates just don't wanna leave the Grand Line and stay there for quite some time. Of course some people like the Marines and the World government can make it out alive but those seas are more dangerous for pirates by far. But ya know…that just adds to the excitement!" I exclaimed. Luffy laughed.

"Ya know it's really too bad. But that's the place where the One Piece is rumored to be and that's exactly where we're going!" Zoro chuckled as he leaned back in his chair shaking his head.

"I guess we have to live with it," he sighed. I giggled as meanwhile, Coby leapt off his chair to come over and try to talk some sense into us.

"No! You can't agree!" he protested. Zoro just shrugged.

"What do you care; you're not going with us are you?" he retorted. Coby froze up and seemed to hesitate for a moment before giving his reply.

"No, but I still worry," he said. "Is it so wrong to care about the three of you?" he asked. "Luffy, Allen and I haven't known each other for years or anything but I still consider them my friends. Wouldn't you say?" he asked Luffy and me tentatively. Luffy grinned back.

"Of course! We may have to part ways but we'll always be friends," he said. I nodded.

"And besides, there's nothin' really to worry about," I reassured him. "There's plenty of East Blue Ocean between us and the Grand Line. We're bound to pick up a few more Crew Members and an appropriate ship before entering those waters anyway so really, don't worry so much." Coby thought about that for a moment before nodding at my reasoning. Then he smiled and looked down at his shoes.

"When I was a little kid…I never had any friends…much less anyone who would bother fighting on my behalf." He spoke sheepishly. "So I always tried my hardest never to fight for anything." He then looked up at us with determination in his eyes that made me smile. "But the three of you have taught me a lesson I could never learn on my own. How to live for what I believe in. So…I've decided to make my one childhood dream a reality and I'm going to join the marines!" he finished with conviction.

"Then…don't you think you should be a little more concerned with your situation?" Zoro asked. Coby looked up questioningly. "I mean you did spend two years on Alvida's pirate ship even if you were nothing but her cabin boy." He paused allowing that idea to sink in. Quite honestly I'd never thought of that myself.

"The marine's information gathering is top notch. They'll find out about your time with Alvida and you'll never join." Coby shook some.

"I…never thought of that," he admitted meekly. I felt bad for him all of a sudden but was given little time to worry about it as the marines with their lieutenant entered the establishment.

"Hey, you there!" the lieutenant spoke up getting our attention. "We heard that you three are actually pirates! Is this rumor true?" he asked. Zoro didn't seem to care, I tilted my head cutely out of habit whenever faced with a question I didn't know if I should answer or not and Luffy…he can't lie to save his life and it would seem as though there was no need for me to worry.

"Right and we just added the first member to our crew!" he stated with a grin on his face. "So pretty much the whole thing just became official!" The marine lieutenant nodded but remained straight faced.

"We appreciate everything you did to save our town from the evil tyrant who terrorized us for so long." He took the time to adjust his cap upon his head before he continued. "However, now that we know you're pirates, as marines we cannot sit idly by and watch you go about your business. Therefore," he straightened to look us in the eyes, "you and your crew will need to leave this town immediately! But out of respect for what you've done, we will not report you to headquarters!" Once the words had left his mouth the surrounding townspeople began to protest. However I was more worried about what would happen to Coby if we left him here like this. However, Luffy knew when to accept an offer.

"Well, time to go," he said as he stood with a smile on his face. "Thanks for the food lady!" he thanked the bartender. Rika looked sad as he gathered his sac of stuff and I stood, stretching to the ceiling.

"Hey, wait a second, you're leaving already?" she asked. He turned to her as he went.

"Yeah," he said. I flicked my red locks behind my shoulder as Zoro collected his swords and headed for the door with us. Coby meanwhile stood stock still where he was, not knowing what to do. The lieutenant noticed this.

"Aren't you part of the crew as well," he asked. Coby flinched not knowing what to say and I turned to Luffy to see what he'd do.

"Uh well I uh…I eh!" he started shivering with uncertainty. Luffy just shook his head at me and I understood we were to walk out and leave him. However, the lieutenant caught us before we could disappear.

"Hold it," he ordered. "Is he with you or what?" Slowly Luffy turned around and I could see he already had a plan in his head surprisingly.

"What I can tell you is what he's been busy doing up to this point," he stated and immediately I caught on snickering. Coby had frozen at those words and turned around horrified. However, Luffy just went into the story using hand gestures to emphasize.

"Yeah, there was this fantastically fat pirate lady, I think her name was Alvida!"

"Luffy," I heard Coby squeak out. My enhanced hearing was the only thing that caught it though. Luffy walked over to Coby indifferently.

"She carried around this huge club and boy was she the nastiest looking woman I've ever seen! For two years this wimpy kid was her own private cabin boy!" he said with a chuckle in his voice. I watched as Coby cracked and had to surpass a laugh as he outright hit Luffy in the face. The funny part is it probably didn't hurt as much as it looked like. Without missing a beat, Luffy set to work completing his plan. I caught Zoro smirking at it out of the corner of my eye.

"Humph, now that was a dumb move!" he growled. Luffy then proceeded to start beating Coby up right there in the restaurant. Even if they would hurt like hell on a wimpy kid like that, I could tell he was pulling them a bit. Luffy's real strength probably would've killed the poor kid. In fact, I was surprised he was still conscious by the end of it when Zoro had to stop him from going overboard. Coby then fell to the ground on his back panting heavily.

"It's clear you're not crewmates so stop badgering the poor kid and take your leave of our town this instant!" the lieutenant declared. Luffy smirked and let loose a small chuckle that didn't go unnoticed by Coby as he picked up his bag again to leave.

As we walked down the streets to the docks I mockingly applauded my brother.

"My, my, what a show captain," I said. "Though it was a pretty thin performance that anyone with half a brain more than you could see through."

"I have to agree," Zoro nodded. "In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they saw through it from the beginning." Luffy just chuckled.

"Coby should be able to handle the rest on his own. I have faith in him." I giggled.

"Yeah…me too!" I agreed. Zoro smirked.

"It is a fitting way to leave this place," he said as we came up to our boat. "Unable to turn back because everyone hates us now. Very…pirate like." Luffy and I giggled as he untied the rope holding the boat to the dock.

"Yeah, it sure is." Suddenly my ears twitched and I couldn't help the grin that grew on my face.

"Sounds like someone didn't want us to leave without a proper goodbye!" I said as I turned around with Luffy and Zoro. Coby was there panting and out of breath.

"Luffy, Allen!" he called out to us. Then he straightened up and gave us a salute. "I can never thank you enough! You've done more for me than anyone ever has!" Zoro smirked.

"I've never heard of a marine thanking a pirate before. That's one for the history books!" he commented. Luffy giggled and grinned wide enough that he had to squeeze his eyes shut while I saluted him back in my own special way. Then we turned back to our boat and got in. We set the sails and began to push off from the shores.

As we got further out to sea Luffy threw his arms up in the air and shouted back.

"We'll meet again Coby! Someday!" he shouted.

"And don't slack off okay? We like our opponents tough to beat!" I called back, waving almost as much as Luffy was. I also caught Rika waving at us beside her mother then…the oddest thing occurred that made us all laugh.

The marines of the base all wound up saluting us alongside Coby and I couldn't help erupting into a fit of giggles as we sailed further away. Luffy finished our farewell with a "See ya" and soon we were far enough away that the island was little more than a dot on the horizon. Finally settled down, I sat down opposite to Zoro as Luffy raced forward to the front of the boat – a habit I'm sure will carry unto our next one.

"Finally, our pirate crew sets sail," he exclaimed. Zoro chuckled.

"I got the feeling some interesting adventures are waiting for us," he said. I nodded and laughed.

"Yeah but let's try avoiding giant whirlpools in the future okay?" Luffy just giggled before holding a hand down on his hat in the wind.

"I'll be King of the pirates; I know it!" he said. Zoro leaned forward now slightly intrigued.

"You seem more than obsessed with this King of the Pirates business. Is there some kind of story behind it or any kind of reason at all?" I looked to Luffy to see if he was in the story telling mood. Usually he didn't like bringing up past memories – mostly because he had to think really hard to remember them – but sometimes if you got him in the mood he'd be willing to share. Maybe it was because remembering all of that reminded him of how trapped and helpless we once all were. Besides, pasts were pasts because the past was where they stayed.

"Nah, no reason," Luffy responded after a moment. "It's just…"

"Just what?" Zoro pressed.

"I promised someone a while back. I swore that I would gather a crew, find the world's greatest treasure and become King of the Pirates!" He paused as he readjusted his hat. "And this straw hat knows the whole story!" Zoro just smiled seeming to accept that as his answer before turning his gaze upon the clouds in the sky.

"I see," he said simply. He turned back as Luffy began shouting excitedly up to the sky.

"Now…let's go! It's time for us to set our heading…for the Grand Line!" he declared. I groaned as I knew I had to remind him.

"Luffy, we don't know the way!"


	4. SIII the Chop-Chop Man

**_Act I: Scene III_**

 ** _The Chop-Chop Man_**

* * *

I glowered at the three idiots sitting across from me. My arms were crossed and my mood was sour. Of course it wasn't entirely their fault. Most of it had to do with an idiotic brother of mine who had tried to go bird hunting but got carried off by the same quarry. Honestly we could've gotten Zoro to try fishing for us with his swords. Now we'd lost Luffy and these three ship-wreckers had caused us to lose sight of him because of their idiotic shenanigans. They looked at both me and Zoro fearfully.

"Uh…h-hey l-little girl…" one started.

"When're ya gonna stop glaring at us like that?" his friend asked. I tsk'd annoyed.

"I dunno, maybe when these metaphorical stakes of annoyance finally pierce your flesh and I hear your screams of agony," I suggested. They flinched and began whimpering.

"Is it just me or is she slightly scarier than Zoro?" the third guy whispered fearfully to his comrades. They whimpered and nodded in agreement.

"Hey!" Zoro spoke up causing them to freeze in terror.

"Yes sir?" they exclaimed in unison.

"Less talk and more rowing!" he growled.

"Yes of course; right away sir!" they all said in unison again. They began rowing slightly faster as they went.

"You idiots had better know where you're going," I grumbled threateningly.

"Yes Ma'am!" they all replied. A moment of silence occurred as we were rowed towards where the three had claimed land to be. With any luck Luffy would be there too.

"So…any ideas about what we do now," one of the guys asked the others.

"Good question," responded another. "If Captain Buggy finds out a 'girl' stole our boat and our treasure; we're history!"

"I know," moaned the third. I quirked an eyebrow and shared a glance with Zoro.

"So who is this Buggy guy?" he asked. The three idiots seemed shocked by this revelation.

"Uh you've never heard of Buggy the Clown?" one asked.

"Nope," Zoro replied.

"Do I look like I've been to the Circus?" I asked back. The man who'd asked the previous question leaned forward with a darkened expression.

"He's the ruthless captain of our pirate crew and he's eaten one of the devil fruits! And above everything else he's one truly terrifying man!" The three shuddered with fright. I burst out laughing with a snort.

"Yeah, probably to you three!" I said. "But I've gotta go ahead and make a call here that he's probably not gonna be as terrifying as you make him out to be; devil fruit power or not!" The three men however weren't convinced.

"Oh you're dead wrong!" one stated.

"Our captain might be called a clown but he's anything but funny."

"Yeah, he wouldn't hesitate to blow someone who disrespects him to kingdom come!" I raised an eyebrow in thought.

"So basically what you're saying is…he's got a big ego?" I asked. I tilted my head to the side thinking it over then nodded.

"Mmhm, definitely nothing to fear there!"

"What!?" the men shouted in unison.

"Hey, who said you could stop paddling?" Zoro demanded. The men flinched and picked up the oars again.

"Sorry sir!" they replied. I shook my head as Zoro yawned and looked to the sky.

"Let's just hope Luffy doesn't do something too stupid," he sighed.

"Heh, no promises there," I countered knowing full well how my brother could be. Then a thought occurred to me and I turned back to the idiot trio.

"So hey, you mentioned your captain having devil fruit powers of some kind. Mind sharing what they might be?" I asked innocently. The three just snickered and turned up their noses.

"As if we'd ever tell you," proclaimed the one in the middle. Zoro raised a brow and began to unsheathe one of his swords, freaking them out a bit.

"O-or p-perhaps…i-it w-wouldn't kill us r-really!" the one on the right said.

"Spill it," Zoro threatened. "Or I spill you!" The three gulped and shook considerably.

"O-okay well…"

"He can separate his parts…"

"As in he's a chop-chop man who ate the Chop-Chop fruit!" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Chop-Chop fruit?" he questioned. I raised an eyebrow again in thought.

"Huh, guess that means you won't be able to cut him," I stated indicating his swords. Zoro nodded.

"Wouldn't want to anyway; at least not unless he started causing trouble. You and Luffy could probably handle him right?"

"Yeah, probably. We'd have to catch him with his guard down to get a hit in and if his ego's as big as I'm thinking it is then that won't be a problem!"

"And what makes you think you could stand a remote chance against our captain?" one of the men asked slightly offended. I just grinned and transformed into my hybrid state.

"Because my brother and I also have devil fruit powers!" I said simply. "Now keep paddling before I paddle your rears with my lucky rabbit's feet!" I threatened darkly.

"Yes ma'am!" they cried again in unison. It was about two hours later that we found ourselves coming upon the docks of a small coastal town on the next island. I let out a sigh and groan of relief.

"Ugh; finally!" I declared as I used my hybrid form to leap right out of the boat and all the way onto the shore leaving not only the three stooges surprised but Zoro relatively impressed. He smirked at me as I waved back to him and the idiots as they docked the tiny boat and began tying it up. Zoro stepped out.

"Geez, that was one powerful leap I mean; we were still fairly far out on the open water!" he commented. I chuckled as I scratched the side of my nose.

"Nah that was nothin'; you should see how far I can really jump!" I giggled some. Just then a loud explosion occurred in the town and we witnessed a full row of houses being obliterated. The shockwave of the blast was sent out towards us and the wind ruffled our clothes. Zoro's face had become serious.

"That was one heck of an explosion," he muttered. I sensed the three idiots shivering with fright behind us and gave them a side glance. Their eyes remained fixated upon the area that'd been destroyed.

"It looked like it was one of the captain's beloved Buggy Balls!" said one. I couldn't stop from snickering and trying to stifle whatever raucous laughter was trying to come forth. Meanwhile, Zoro snorted and smirked.

"Buggy Balls?" he questioned. I couldn't hold back anymore and let the laughter out holding my sides. Every time I tried to stop it only got worse. However, I was eventually able to calm myself down. I finally sighed and wiped away some tears that'd formed in my eyes as I'd been laughing too hard.

"Geez; if I hadn't known this guy was all ego before then I certainly do now! I mean…how many balls does one guy need!" I grinned as Zoro chuckled and began walking.

"C'mon…if we wanna find Luffy I say that way's our best bet," he pointed towards the direction from where the explosion had occurred. I nodded before turning to the three idiots who immediately flinched at my glare.

"Where can we find your captain?" I asked seriously. They trembled and pointed towards a distinct part of town.

"On t-top of the local tavern," they said together. I stared them down for a bit to see if they were lying before finally deciding that they weren't and smiled a beaming smile at them.

"Okay, thanks a bunch guys. Stay outta trouble!" I called as I ran to catch up to Zoro. He glanced at me as I came up beside him.

"So where's the local tavern?" he asked. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"I dunno," I admitted. "But I'm already starting to pick up Luffy's scent and it's coming strongest from that direction," I said pointing to where the guys had pointed before. He nodded and we walked as quickly as we could through the empty streets. He looked about curiously.

"There doesn't seem to be a lot of people around today?" he commented.

"Meh, Buggy probably scared them all off. I mean wouldn't you get the hell outta town before you were blown to kingdom come?" I asked. He hummed in thought.

"Hm…I guess so," he agreed. "So I guess this means his crew has taken over the town!"

"Yeah and the local tavern is their base of operations! Understandable seeing as how that's where most of the food is." I said.

"And booze," Zoro added. "What pirate doesn't like good booze?" I giggled and agreed.

As we neared the tavern, my ears twitched and I could hear voices. I shifted my ears some more to get a better listen and heard the words the voices were chanting.

"Fire; fire; fire; fire; fire…" they chanted on and on. I turned to Zoro.

"Something's going on up there on the roof! I'm gonna hop ahead and get a better look!"

"Okay," he nodded. I started picking up my pace and began running until I was entering the building and finding the stairs to the roof. The guard who was supposed to be guarding the entrance was passed out drunk on a bar stool.

Once I was at the door to the roof, I saw the spectacle before me and groaned as I saw Luffy was tied up and in a stone cage with a cannon aimed right at him. A man wearing flashy attire with a big red clown nose stood behind the cannon and was handing a box of matches to an orange haired girl about Luffy's age who looked fearful and uncertain.

"Now; light the fuse Nami!" the man in the flashy captain's attire cried excitedly. If I had to take a guess then I'd say that was Captain Buggy. The men surrounding them continued cheering 'fire' over and over again as the girl stared at my brother; at the matches and back again unknowing of what she wanted to do. Meanwhile Luffy just sat in his cage staring back at her.

"Hey; you're not wimping out on me are you?" Nosy demanded. Heh yup – that's a good nickname! But I think I'll keep trying for something more insulting. The girl jerked her head up at the accusation trying to answer but not even sure how to answer it herself.

"What's the matter?" my brother suddenly asked from the cage. "Your hand's shaking." He grinned some and I could tell immediately what was running through his mind. I glanced back to the girl who was taken aback by the statement. My eyes widened in realization. That was the girl I saw on the last island. Orange hair in a pixie cut; she looked like a tangerine or something and looked pretty intelligent. If Luffy was planning on asking her to be a part of the crew then she'd have to have one of the skills we'd discussed or she'd had to have caught his eye in some way. Definitely not an attractive way although she was pretty. It's just that Luffy doesn't have the brain enough to figure that stuff out and honestly I'm dreading the day when I'll have to explain it to him on the level that he should understand it.

"That's what happens when you take on pirates with half ass resolve," Luffy continued. The girl stiffened and gripped the matches tighter.

"Resolve? To do what? To kill someone like it's nothing?" she demanded of him. "Is that a pirate's resolve?!"

"No!" Luffy responded. Then he stared her straight in the eye with a smile on his face. "You've gotta be willing to risk your own life!" he confirmed. I grinned, excited that this test was getting interesting. However, I became distracted as I sniffed some food and my stomach growled though it couldn't be heard over the chorus of chants.

I slipped into my rabbit form and crept through the crowd of chanting pirates to where the food was lain out and I started salivating as I saw the picks. These guys were probably having a party before I'd gotten here and Buggy had decided to get rid of Luffy now.

"And that's why when they're done here; it'll all be gone. Heh, heh, heh," I chuckled darkly as I crept up on the remaining food and began to divulge myself while they were distracted. I knew I'd have to do something if things got out of hand but I also wanted to see what this new girl was willing to do. She clearly didn't want to blow Luffy to kingdom come and yet she was scared of what the pirates might do to her if her cover was blown. Oh well…time to watch. I absent mindedly wondered where Zoro could've gotten to.

"Here new chic; quit being such a tease," a pirate said as he snatched the matches from Nami's hands surprising her. "Let me show ya how to light the cannon!" He grinned as he brought out a match and struck it against the side of the box; lighting it. Then he began to reach his arm out to the fuse with the match still held between his fingers.

The girl called Nami reacted on instinct. Just as the fuse was about to be lit, Luffy became nervous and Nami grabbed three short rods from three holsters on the side of her leg and in one swift and fast movement, the three rods were clipped together and the full staff was coming down hard on the guy's head, silencing the crowd and knocking the man unconscious. I snickered at the shocked expressions on the crew's faces.

Luffy meanwhile was amazed and leaned forward to get a better view. I just rolled my eyes at him without his noticing and continued eating the meat I'd found on the table. What? If it's left out it'll go bad. Besides by this point, I was practically starving because we hadn't eaten for practically the whole day. Meanwhile, Nami was coming around and looked slightly startled with her actions.

"Sorry; my bad," she exclaimed over her shoulder to Nosy. Nosy didn't look so forgiving. He growled in annoyance.

"Nami…what's the meaning of this outrage!?" he demanded to know. Nami turned full around taking her staff in her two hands and bowed apologetically.

"I'm sorry," she said again. Nosy growled.

"What's wrong? Just shoot him already!" he demanded. Meanwhile Luffy looked confused.

"Huh…so now…you've decided to save me?" he asked. Nami turned on him with an air of annoyance.

"Don't be so stupid!" she retorted before turning back to face the pirates defensively. "I'm not doing this for you; I just don't wanna lower myself to the level of these inhuman pirates!" Luffy blinked then shrugged.

"Okay; thanks anyway!" he replied. I nodded appreciating that he'd remembered how to be polite.

"Pirates took the life of someone very dear to me. I'll never be one of them!" Nami explained. I could hear the pain in her voice as soon as she said it. I could tell as well that her pain was cutting deeper than what it would appear. I dunno I guess I've always been able to tell with this kind of stuff. Anyways back to…to… My eyes bugged out and I quickly gulped down my food.

"Luffy; Nami! The fuse is still goin!" I shouted calling everyone's attention to the burning piece of rope leading to the cannon. It looks like that guy lit the fuse as he was being knocked out by Nami. How'd I miss that? Oh…right…food. Meanwhile no one had even really glanced my way to see where the new voice had been coming from. The pirates were all focused on Nami and their captain while Luffy was focused on panicking over the lit fuse.

"So you think pirates are just inhuman filth is that right?" Nosy demanded angrily. "Get her men!" he ordered and all of the pirates began to gang up on her. She was able to block a few swords with her staff before losing her grip on it then slipping past the pirates and rushing towards the burning fuse.

"Water, water, water, water…" Luffy chanted looking around for something to douse the fuse. Meanwhile, I'd grabbed the last of my meal and bounded after one of the groups chasing Nami. Nami by this point had reached the fuse and without anything better to do, grabbed a hold of it hoping to suffocate it with her hands; burning them in the process. Back with the group I'd reached, I got in front of them then leapt up and kicked them all back with powerful kicks for a little bunny and watched as they landed on their rumps. Nosy turned in our direction with a furious face.

"What!?" he demanded. The guys came at me again but a few more well placed kicks landed them in a pile which I proudly stood atop of. However, as I'd been dealing with these guys, more had followed Nami and were just pouncing as Luffy told her to watch out. That was when Zoro finally arrived and let them face plant into the sheathes holding his swords.

"Hey now…it's not nice of you guys to gang up on the girl," he said. Luffy smiled widely.

"Heh, Zoro!" he exclaimed. I bounded back over towards him and stood proudly beside the green haired swordsman. His eyes fell on me and he smirked.

"You couldn't have handled them yourself?" he teased. I pointed heatedly at the pile of idiots I'd just beaten up over to the side and he stopped smiling. "Never mind then," he grunted as Nami turned around to behold her two saviors – well one – I'm still in bunny form.

"Hey Allen…when'd you get here?" Luffy asked.

"A while ago," I admitted without regret. Luffy took that in then started shouting at me.

"Hey if you've been here this whole time then just what hell were you doing?!" He demanded. I turned to glance back over my shoulder with a grin and began picking my teeth with a shaved down piece of bone.

"Devouring their buffet tables," I replied.

"No fair ya meanie!" he shouted back. I harrumphed and wiggled my cotton tail in his face. He shifted into a growling, grumbling expression as he was disappointed that he couldn't have any of the meat. Zoro rolled his eyes at our sibling rivalry already having gotten used to it the short time we'd been together and glanced back at a baffled Nami.

"You hurt?" he asked.

"Huh?" she said.

"I said are you hurt?" He asked again. She continued to stare in amazement at the swordsman while glancing between him and me.

"Uh…no I'm fine I think," she replied.

"I'm fine too," Luffy called from his cage, his previous scowl forgotten for the moment. He grinned. "I gotta say that was a close one. I'm glad you guys found us. So hurry up and come get me outta here!" he stated. I turned to him annoyed and crossed my arms.

"Humph, well if some idiot hadn't gotten himself carried off by a bird in the first place then he probably wouldn't have been roped up and thrown in a cage then have a cannon aimed to shoot at him!"

"Yeah, how'd you even get like that anyways?" Zoro wanted to know.

"It's an interesting story actually," Luffy replied innocently. The men of the pirate crew surrounding us seemed surprise.

"That's…" one started.

"Yeah, that little brat just called him Zoro," his buddy agreed.

"And is it me or did that little bunny not only devour our feast but kick our butts and make us look like fools?" asked one of the guys I'd beaten groaning from the man pile.

"And…is it talking?" another asked.

"Hey!" I snapped turning on them and making them shiver slightly. "I ain't an 'it'; I have a name. Also…you idiots don't really need my help in the fools department!" I said haughtily. Some of the men growled in annoyance at me but I just growled right back. Yeah…don't piss off this bunny. Meanwhile Nami looked perplexed between Zoro and I as Zoro started walking towards Luffy's cage to get him free. Nosy crossed his arms looking like he was cooking up a plan. I wondered what his chop-chop power would look like in action.

"So you're Zoro," he stated. Zoro stopped walking and glanced back. "If you're here for my head; you've got quite the struggle before you," he warned. Zoro ignored him and turned back to face Luffy.

"No; not interested," he replied. "I gave up pirate hunting. I'm here for my friend!" Nosey just grinned nastily.

"But I'm interested though," he said. "Killing you would bolster my reputation!" Zoro stopped again and glanced back unamused.

"If you try; you'll die," he warned. Nose-Horn – heh new nickname and it's better than the old one; ya know cause he's got a big red nose and he likes to blow his horn to make himself look good anyways – Nose-Horn simply grinned and chuckled.

"Oh…is that so?" he asked as he twirled his swords in his hands. Zoro just sighed as he brought down his swords.

"I tried to warn you but oh well," he said. He then turned to me. "I assume you have a plan for this as well?" he asked and I grinned.

"Heh, heh, heh," I chuckled whilst rubbing my paws together maliciously. I already knew what I was gonna do. Zoro turned around with his swords at the ready; ready to face off against Nose-Horn. I turned to Nami with the same grin on my face.

"Hey Nami; why don't you go and untie our captain while we take care of Mr. Ego here?" I suggested, pulling her from her trance. She blinked and then furrowed her eyebrows.

"And why should I do that?" she asked. I just continued grinning.

"Because I helped save you from those other guys a while back and ya owe me one!" I replied simply. She deadpanned and began to creep off to the side with a sigh as the crew was cheering for the coming fight. Meanwhile Captain Nose-Horn licked the top edge of his sword with a crazy glint in his eye. Zoro put one of his swords in his mouth held between his teeth like before and held his other two swords up readying himself for the attack that would follow. Meanwhile; Luffy watched intently from within his cage.

Then it was on. As Nose-Horn raced forth with many blades between his fingers, Zoro strengthened his stance and I moved back some to get a better view while calling to Nami.

"Now!" She groaned and ran for the cage, catching my dagger as I tossed it to her.

"This is the last time I take orders from a rabbit!" I heard her grumble as I heard Nose-Horn shout as he leapt into midair, "Die flashily!" Nose-Horn came down upon Zoro with little to no skill involved and Zoro sliced right through him in an instant – or so one would think. Nose-Horn's parts fell immediately to the ground and the crowd was silenced.

Zoro sheathed his swords again and glanced back at the body while also giving me a look that indicated it was my turn. Nami had averted her eyes and cringed as she'd cut Luffy's ropes. Luffy was relieved as he could now move again.

"Woah; thanks Nami," he said. Then he looked up at the scene before him. He grinned like an idiot. "Oh wow; he's weak! Way to go Zoro!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes at him. Anyone who'd been paying attention would've noticed that Zoro's swords were untainted with blood and the air didn't smell of fresh death either. Then again most of my senses are sharpened because of my devil fruit ability. Nami had finally brought herself to look upon the scene with shock.

"No way," she breathed. Suddenly the rest of Nose-Horn's crew began to chuckle darkly and soon it grew into dark laughter at our expense – for now at least. Nami and Luffy were pretty clueless as to why so I considered it good that Zoro and I at least knew what we were dealing with already. Zoro already had a cautious hand on the hilt of one of his swords but kept his eyes on the crowd of laughing pirates. He trusted me so I couldn't let him down and I wouldn't. In the meantime, he cocked an eyebrow at the pirates.

"Hey why are they laughing?" Luffy asked turning to me for an answer. I just waved him off promising he'd see soon enough. Nami too was confused.

"They're captain is lying dead on the ground and yet they're still laughing? What's going on?" she asked. Zoro smirked as he looked at them.

"Oh…so you think this is funny do you?" he demanded to know. They just kept laughing and I watched as Nose-Horn's form lifted itself off the ground, a twisted grin on his face and I watched as his detached hand shot forwards. Showtime.

"I'll have you know it's no laughing matter to have your captain made a fool of," he stated. They kept laughing until they heard Nose-Horn's scream of agony. They all gaped and Zoro turned to see that I'd reacted right in time and now had Nose-Horn's hand with the blade in it in a vice grip with my jaw; my teeth sinking into his flesh. FYI; he tasted gross!

"Agh…ah…wagh…get it off of me…get it off!" he screamed. Then he glared right down at me. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Iting or and! (Biting your hand)" I said through his hand in my mouth. Luffy was laughing his ass off still in his cage while Zoro turned back to regard the stunned silent pirate crew.

"Didn't I tell ya it was no laughing matter?" he asked them mockingly. "We ran into three o' your buddies a while back and persuaded them to share some information with us. I guess it's just your unlucky day men." I still held Nose-Horn's hand in my mouth tightly and he continued screaming not even thinking to split his hand up as the pain served as the perfect distraction. Meanwhile Nami looked quite freaked out.

"Just…just what is he?" she wondered.

"E's a shop-shop mawn! (He's a chop-chop man!)"I told her through the hand and over the screaming. Nami looked at me not completely getting it.

"Huh?" she asked.

"A chop-chop man," Zoro explained while walking over to her. "According to the idiots we found ship-wrecked at sea, he can separate his body parts at will. It' the power of a devil fruit." Nami still looked shocked.

"Oh; Oka; mekes shense! (Oh, okay; makes sense!)" Luffy said through a mouthful of something. Looks like he wasted no time in stealing himself some food. The crew members screamed in horror as they watched my brother's limbs stretch effortlessly through the bars of his cage to the tables I hadn't touched yet to steal some of their feast.

"H-he's…s-stretching that f-far!?" some men cried in unison.

"Captain; just separate the parts of your hand!" cried one of Nose-Horn's buddies. Nose-Horn immediately took his advice and I felt some of his hand split apart leaving a small piece of it inside of my mouth. As the excess pieces moved back over to where Nose-Horn was now standing, I felt the stray piece in my mouth fighting to break free as I dropped to the ground again.

"Bleh!" I finally spit it out tired of the horrible flavor. Then I began rubbing my tongue to try and get rid of the flavors that still existed there. Meanwhile, Nose-Horn finally reattached his full hand and his wrist slapped back onto his body but there was still a big red bite mark where I'd gotten him. He looked us over angrily.

"Just what are you freaks?" he demanded of my brother and me. I grinned and waved at him and enjoyed watching him flinch in fright ever so slightly. As Luffy Swallowed another pound of meat he replied.

"I'm a rubber man," he said. "And my little sister's a…"

"Bunny-girl!" I proclaimed becoming hybrid then human in an instant before their very eyes. I giggled then went over to a nearby table and stole myself a mug of ale that'd been untouched. I began to drink at it ignoring my current age and just wanting something; anything to wash away the taste of clown hand. I'm just glad he dropped the knife he'd been holding before that. Nose-Horn glowered at us.

"So…you two are devil fruit users as well," he stated. "That's quite a rarity here in the East Blue of all places." Luffy grinned from his cage.

"Yeah I know," he said. "Al here says there are probably more on the Grand Line!"

"The Grand Line eh?" Nose-Horn mumbled in thought.

"Yeah, I told ya didn't I?" Luffy continued. "I'm gonna gather a crew and we're gonna go and sail the Grand Line together. Then I'm gonna become King of the Pirates!" Nose-Horn didn't seem to like that. I could hear him beginning to growl slightly from where I stood next to Zoro. Then he chuckled darkly.

"Oh you are, are you?" he asked. While he chuckled; some of his men started to join in.

"Yeah," Luffy responded innocently.

"No!" Nose-Horn shot back looking up. "I don't think so! You do realize how many other pirates in the world are shooting for that goal right? And if this is the number of people that amounts to your pirate crew then I dare say that you don't stand a chance!" he sneered with his men's laughter picking up.

"Oh please," I said waving his remarks away. "Like you could do any better. You're nothing but an ego driven man who likes to hear himself talk and brags to others when he thinks he'll hear things that he wants to hear. You're only scary because you have devil fruit powers and chose to terrorize a small town in the weakest sea in the world. Not to mention your crewmates are all men and aren't too bright I might add!" He growled at me but I didn't find it at all threatening. I knew how to defend myself from bigger threats than this man before me. I didn't spend the past few years training with Ace and Luffy to get beaten by a clown.

"You don't know when to shut your flapping gums do you?" Nose-Horn bellowed. "Very well then." He turned to his men raising a sword with his good hand. "Men; prepare the buggy ball to fire at them and send them to hell flashily!"

"Yes sir!" they cried together. However, a loud thunk called their attention away from their Captain. Zoro and I had flipped the cannon and now I was standing atop it in hybrid form with a twisted grin on my face.

"Nami; you can light the fuse now!" I said with false sweetness sending shivers down their spines. Luffy began laughing from within his cage while Nami looked at me in shock. I turned to her smiling. "Don't worry; I'll give em a head start," I promised. She nodded and didn't even think as she snatched up the previously dropped matches from the ground. Meanwhile, Nose-Horn and his pirate crew were freaking out.

"Agh; crap the cannon's pointed at us! No!" Nose-Horn cried. I smirked.

"Just as I thought," I said smugly. "Once you're on the wrong end of the cannon you are a coward! Thanks for proving my theory Nose-Horn!" I chuckled as I grinned. Nose-Horn continued shaking but he turned to me with rage in his eyes.

"What's that you called me!? Nose-Horn!? Are you making fun of my nose you brat!?" I giggled as did Luffy behind me.

"So what's the reason behind this one?" he asked cheerily. I turned around to grin at him.

"Well, he's got a big nose but he's got a bigger ego and sometimes clown's noses honk when they squeeze them like a horn and since he likes to blow his horn to boost his own ego, I thought it sound way better than just Nosy! Though I'm still in the testing phase," I explained. Luffy fell back laughing and Nami looked at me incredulously with some mixture of annoyance while Zoro smirked and shook his head at me.

"You bitch; just wait till I get up there I'll…" Nose-Horn tried to rant.

"You all have till the count of three," I said. The crew grew wary again as did their captain. "Care to do the honors Captain?" I asked. Luffy grinned.

"One," he started. I turned back towards Nose-Horn.

"Two," I said next. Nose-Horn put up a hand to try stopping us.

"No; wait!" he cried. "The cannon's still loaded with a special Buggy Ball. I don't wanna go out like this!" Nami lit the fuse again. "I can't believe you did that, you ungrateful little girl!" he hollered at her. Nami covered her ears as did Zoro and myself. Luffy leaned forwards in his cage excitedly. "Wait…n-n-n-no!" Nose-Horn pleaded. "Stop…stop it now!"

"Three!" Luffy and I shouted in unison. As we said it, the cannon bucked beneath me but I was able to regain my balance almost instantly even as it rolled back some. Despite my covered ears, I could hear the screams as Nose-Horn and his crew were blown away and a smoke screen was provided for us by the cannon.

"Great; now let's get outta here!" Zoro declared. I nodded, hopping off of the cannon and rushing towards the cage.

"Can ya get yerself out?" I asked him. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno!" he replied. I face padded again and sighed.

"Just lie down on the cage floor and Gatling the roof off," I suggested.

"Oh; ok," he replied. He did as I'd instructed then started to go hard and fast at the roof of the cage. Since he was strong, the concrete top and even bottom broke after a while and he hopped out smiling.

"Great; now let's get the hell outta here!" he exclaimed. We all followed his lead as fast as we could and got as far away from the tavern as we were able, running through the empty streets of the town with Luffy and I laughing all the way.

* * *

We finally made it to a part of town far enough away from the tavern before we collapsed, Luffy and I still laughing some as we caught our breath. I lay back on the ground and glanced up into the sky. It was clear with a few clouds here and there but not many. My eyes then fell on something and I rolled over to see it better.

"Woah, puppy!" I exclaimed excitedly, grabbing the other's attention. True to my word, there was a little white dog sitting in front of what looked like a pet food store. Luffy was grinning at it then he started making weird faces. I rolled my eyes at him before turning back to the dog. Luffy laughed.

"Hey Zoro, it looks like this dog's frozen!" he called to the swordsman. Zoro sighed and walked over to sit down against the wooden beam of the shop.

"I don't give a damn," he replied, "He can sit there forever for all I care!"

"I wonder if its dead!" he exclaimed reaching out a finger. I gave him a deadpanned look.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I warned.

"Aw, why not?" he asked innocently as he placed his finger on the dog's forehead. Then without warning the dog attacked him, scratching and biting at him, chomping around the face. I grinned as Luffy finally got him to let go and panted breathlessly.

"That's why," I replied. Then I turned back to the dog with an apologetic smile.

"Hey, don't mind my brother here, he's just an idiot," I told him.

"Hey!" Luffy tried to protest.

"I second that," Zoro agreed. Luffy turned on him with a scowl causing him to smirk back. Meanwhile Nami just rolled her eyes at him. The dog eyed me warily but seemed to just shrug it off and continued to sit where he was. I laughed lightly and sat up.

"Hey! Who are you kids and what're you doing to shushu?" an angry voice called over to us. We looked up and saw an oddly dressed old man with a weird hair cut coming over to us. Was that supposed to be armor? Zoro cocked an eyebrow as he drew closer.

"And who're you old man?" he asked. The man seemed to be offended by that statement.

"Old man!? Why I'm the mayor of this town! Who're you and why're you hurting Shushu?" I blinked as he turned to look us over. I just smiled when he came to me.

"Nah, we ain't hurting him," I said. "My brother just tried to pet him and he attacked. We haven't done anything!" He blinked, thought it over then sighed.

"I see," he said. "Well you'll have to excuse him for that. Shushu doesn't respond well to strangers. I take it you kids are new on this island?" he asked.

"Um yeah, that's right," Nami explained. He just sighed.

"Then I suggest you get out of here as quick as you can," he told us. "This town is currently being run by Captain Buggy and his men; infamous pirates around these parts." I grinned widely.

"Oh we know, we just finished blowing him up!" I sniggered.

"Say what!?" the mayor exclaimed looking startled. I grinned while meanwhile Luffy sat up and giggled.

"Hey I wonder if he's still alive?" he pondered. I snickered.

"Who knows, we might just find out if we stay here long enough and besides…I wanna see what he has in his treasure chest!" Nami became somewhat hostile with the new information.

"What' that? Someone else is trying to take my score?" she challenged. "I'll have you know I've gone through a lot to get close to that treasure and I'm not sharing!" she pointed out. I just shrugged.

"Fine by me," I stated. "I'm only interested in certain items. If he happens to have what I'm looking for then no one's stopping me from taking it." I made that point certainly clear in my tone of voice and smile. It was one of those that which was outwardly pleasant but covered something deadly. Nami didn't shiver as much as I'd expected but just glared at me as I smiled sweetly back at her. However, our staring match was interrupted yet again by the mayor.

"Are you kids serious?" he asked. "You blew up Buggy the Clown?"

"Yeah," Luffy said nonchalantly. "It wasn't that hard all we had to do was flip the cannon." The mayor remained wide eyed and mouth agape.

"I see…" he spoke softly before calming himself down again and sighing. "And you're not sure whether he's alive or not?"

"Nope," I reiterated.

"We didn't exactly see any dead bodies; we just kind of took off," Zoro confirmed. "I'm sure the idiot managed to pull something off." The mayor nodded sagely before approaching the pet food store and unlocking it. He took some time getting a bowl filled with food for the dog and came back out after locking up and placed the bowl before the pup. Nami approached and took her chances as she knelt down to pet the dog's head.

"So this dog's name is Shushu?" she questioned. Luffy laughed.

"Why's he just sitting there like that? He sure is a lazy dog!" he commented.

"He's guarding the store," the mayor explained.

"Guarding it?" Zoro pressed. Nami looked up with interest.

"Yes," the mayor replied. Nami then turned around to see the sign above her head.

"Oh I see…It's a pet food shop!" The mayor nodded then crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's right and the man who used to run this store was a very close friend of mine," he stated. I nodded with comprehension. "When he passed I assumed responsibility of taking care of Shushu."

"He died?" Nami asked sadly.

"Yes," The mayor nodded. "Three months ago after fighting his illness for a very long time." Nami was surprised.

"So he's been guarding the store for his master this whole time; that's impressive," Zoro expressed. The mayor nodded.

"That seems to be the consensus," he said. He went over to the store and sat down on the porch. "But I find that hard to believe," he continued, "Shushu's a smart dog. He's probably known for a while that his master's not coming back." By this time, Shushu was finished eating his meal, finishing off the little bits stuck to the bowl with his tongue. I regarded him with interest as Nami questioned the mayor.

"But then why does he stay here at the store?" she wondered. The mayor took a long drag on the pipe he had before letting out the smoke in a single sigh.

"I guess because he has a connection to it," the old man explained. "It's his…treasure; he's guarding it!" he finished taking another puff on his pipe. "His master left him with this shop and that's why he protects it; I've tried to bring him back to my place so he won't be out of the elements but he won't take so much as a step away from here."

Shushu then yawned and took up the bowl he'd been eating out of and placed it at the old man's feet. I smiled as he yawned and went back to guard duty.

"His treasure huh," I whispered, clutching at the compass hanging from my neck with a silly grin on my face. "I totally understand!" Luffy meanwhile chuckled beside me as his hand found its way to his signature hat. Nami glanced at us from the side with an odd look and Zoro tsk'd with some humor behind it as he clutched his white sword. It seemed that we all had treasures worth protecting because of people special to us. I'm sure that Nami understood it as well.

Just then the bowl and the ground began to shake with rumbles. It called all of our attention. Nami stood up warily.

"What's that sound?" she wondered. The mayor became frantic.

"It's him; it's beast tamer Mohji! We gotta go; run!" he exclaimed. Nami became somewhat panicked as the mayor scuttled about in his own panic.

"What do you mean by beast tamer...wait hold on!" she called after him as she followed. I grinned as I stood up with Luffy and Zoro beside me. I morphed into my hybrid form again and my ears picked up on the roars and my nose caught the scent. I chortled with glee.

"Giant lion coming our way," I noted. Luffy began to salivate.

"Oh really? Sounds delicious!" he said. Zoro cocked an eyebrow at us, his swords at the ready.

"You two have some really weird tastes," he commented. I just shrugged.

"What can we say; we were raised by the law of the jungle," I explained. He just shook his head and turned his focus on the now approaching giant kitty cat. The lion stopped before us and we could see a man with a weird haircut sitting on its back.

"Looks like your luck has run out," he sneered. "I'm known as the beast tamer Mohji; a member of the Buggy pirates!" He looked down at us like he was some kind of threat. Luffy just nodded.

"Oh so he's not dead!" he said matter of factly. I tilted my head with minimal interest.

"You're supposed to be a beast tamer?" I asked disbelievingly. Zoro smirked.

"Looks to me like he just got himself a sissy lion!" he jibed. I snickered. Meanwhile the man seemed to be offended by his comment.

"How dare you!" he shot back at us. "I'll have you know that I'm the first mate to Buggy and that I'm feared far and wide. I'm known all around for my terrifying skill; there is no animal in this world that beast tamer Mohji can't bend to do his bidding!" As if to prove his point, he dismounted the big lion and attempted to get Shushu to shake his hand. This ended with Shushu biting him and Luffy and I falling into one another for support to laugh at him. Zoro smirked mockingly at the self-proclaimed beast tamer as he tried to detach his hand from the dog's mouth.

Finally, with his hand back and throbbing with pain by his side, Mohji tried to reclaim his fearsomeness as he'd though he'd had before as we stared at him. Luffy yawned as he went into a spiel on how we weren't going to get away and that we were all going to pay but we tuned him out. Luffy leaned over to me.

"Hey Al, you wanna take the lion and the weirdo?" he asked me. I smirked and turned to him.

"I thought you'd wanna take him on," I teased. He just waved it off.

"Nah; if Buggy's still around I wanna kick his ass instead!" I nodded then turned to Zoro.

"What about you?" I asked. He just shrugged then turned back to Mohji.

"Hey!" he shouted, getting the 'beast tamer's attention. "Do you guys have a swordsman on your crew?" he asked. Mohji seemed to be taken aback by the question but answered anyways.

"Yeah; why do you wanna know?" he replied suspiciously. Zoro grinned then turned back to me.

"There's your answer," he replied. I nodded turning to face Mohji. The beast tamer became annoyed.

"Hey; what're you three plotting; were you even listening to me!?" he demanded to know. I blinked then responded.

"Sorry; could you repeat that? I wasn't really paying attention," I teased. Luffy and Zoro snickered.

"Oh that's it! You're gonna pay!" he roared as he leapt back up on his lion. I laughed as both Luffy and Zoro took a step back towards the shop front to help guard it with Shushu. The dog went back to standing alert in front as I took up a ready stance already in my hybrid form.

"Well then, come and make me pay; if ya got what it takes!" I taunted. He growled and pointed towards me.

"Richie; attack!" he hollered to his lion. The lion obeyed and charged forth swiping a paw a me but it was all too easy to dodge by leaping up in the air. Even as his other paw attempted to snag me, claws outstretched, I was still quicker as I spun in midair, landed on the top of the paw then leapt over their heads so that I was behind them. I smirked then I yawned.

"Oh man; this isn't much of a fight now is it?" I questioned. "How pathetic too; a lion losing to a wittle ol' bunny wabbit!" Mohji – oh wait I know just what to do with this one now. From now on he'll be Roji and the lion will be Mitchie. Hah I'm a genius. Anyways, Roji growled in frustration.

"You little brat! I'll show you who's the pathetic one! Richie; show this rabbit who's really on the menu!" he bellowed. I made an insultingly funny face at them then tapped my butt in a mocking manner before running off down the street and the idiot actually followed.

I kept running until I came to a part of town that'd already been destroyed by the Buggy ball and wasn't too close to the tavern. At least here we wouldn't damage Shushu's treasure. So I stopped running as the lion caught up. The man on top sneered down at me.

"Do you honestly believe you can outrun your own predator!?" he demanded to know snidely. I just grinned.

"Okay firstly...yeah I could probably outrun you. Secondly...who said I was outrunning anybody!?" I asked back. "I've got you right where I want ya!" Then I took up my own stance. He looked around and realized we were a long distance from the others. However, he didn't feel particularly threatened. He just scoffed.

"And what pray tell can a petty little rabbit do to a mighty lion and beast tamer hm?" he pressed. I grinned.

"Are ya sure ya wanna find out?" I teased. He growled, growing a few tic marks on his head. He leapt off the lion and commanded it.

"Attack her Richie!" he demanded. He stood off to the side and watched as his pet lion charged at a helpless defenseless little bunny rabbit. Then he watched as said bunny rabbit leapt up into the air and began to spin like a ninja star and came down hard upon the lion's head with one hard kick that sent him face-planting into the pavement. Then that bunny rabbit landed on the other side and took the lion by his tail before spinning him around in dizzying circles before throwing him up into the air. Next the seemingly helpless rabbit followed his ascension and kicked him down again into the cobblestone below and finally the giant creature blacked out.

I grinned as I stood up and waved over at Roji who was clearly shocked and scared shitless. Then I began to approach him cracking my knuckles. He stumbled and fell to the ground trying to back away.

"Your turn," I beamed. He waved his hands back and forth frantically.

"What no; I'm s-sorry please…w-we d-d-d-didn't mean to cause any trouble!" he tried to back out. I wouldn't let him.

"Oh but that's your lion right?" I asked. He nodded knowing that if he lied to this face, he'd get it worse.

"Y-yes b-but…he's not usually this hostile…"

"But I heard you tell him to attack me twice and he was just fulfilling his master's orders. Are you denying this now?"

"What no…"

"Seems like you are," I teased in a sing song voice. "And you know what really gets me annoyed? When owners don't take responsibility and blame things all on their pets. That's just downright despicable!"

"But I…" I reached him now. I reached down to pick him by the scruff of the shirt which was surprising considering how I'm fourteen and he's way older. I grinned one last time.

"Have fun with Nose-Horn!" I said before I wound up my arm and punched him full on in the face. He went flying in the direction of the tavern and to add insult to injury I picked up the lion too and sent him flying after his master. I then clapped my hands together dusting off the grime of the fight.

"Well, now that, that's done; time to check on Luffy and Zoro!" I piped up before abruptly turning on my heel and heading back for the Pet Food Store.


	5. SIV Guard the Treasures of the Heart

_**Act I: Scene IV**_

 _ **Guard the Treasures of the Heart**_

* * *

I arrived back to the Pet Food Store with a bright smile on my face to see that Nami and the Mayor had come back out of hiding. Luffy looked up and grinned as I came back.

"So…how was it?" he asked. I brought up a hand to my mouth and yawned.

"Boring; the beasts on Mt. Corvo were deadlier than that duo and the Lion was doing all the work!" Luffy started laughing his head off and Nami just shook her head at me.

"How'd you survive?" the mayor asked in awe. I turned to him smiling largely.

"All I had to do was kick his ass. It wasn't that hard," I replied. He nodded then looked down at the ground. Meanwhile, Zoro scoffed.

"I hope this supposed swordsman on their crew isn't as weak. I could use a challenge," he stated. I laughed.

"Who knows!" I said. Nami turned to me with furrowed brows.

"Hang on…Mt. Corvo…where's that? I swear I've heard of it before." I turned to her with a smile.

"It's on Dawn Island and is a part of the Goa Kingdom here in East Blue," I explained. Luffy nodded.

"Yeah that's where we were raised," he added.

"There's a cute little town on one side called Windmill village; do you know that?" I asked. Nami thought it over then nodded.

"Yeah I've heard of it. Although I can't say I've been there myself," she stated. I shrugged and let it be as I approached the group. Suddenly the mayor became tense.

"I'm pathetic!" he exclaimed calling our attention. "Shushu refuses to back down from guarding his shop and this young girl bested one of Buggy's best officers and yet I the mayor have done nothing but sit back and watch our town be obliterated by Buggy and his despicable crew!" he shouted. Nami was surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Calm down; it's not that bad," she tried to reason. The mayor lifted his head and his eyes grew distant as he recalled the past.

"Forty years ago this whole area was nothing but barren rugged land. We all worked together to make fields for our crops. We opened stores and built everything from the ground up! This town is a treasure to me and all its citizens! From here on out, I refuse to let Buggy and his crew terrorize us anymore!" he shouted to the sky.

Then as though speaking his name had been a trigger, a whole section of buildings and houses nearby exploded in a blinding light as undoubtedly another one of Nose-Horn's precious cannonballs was fired. The blast was enough to blow the old man back on his rear.

"He'll…destroy it all," he spoke with a wavering voice as he beheld the destruction. Zoro stared at the destruction with a deadpanned expression.

"Well if we didn't know he was alive before we sure do now," he stated. Luffy nodded. The mayor had stood up once more gritting his teeth with frustration.

"I refuse to let him get away with this," he growled. "I won't stand for it! I can't let this scumbag destroy all of what my townspeople worked for these last forty years!" We all watched as he worked himself up.

"I am the mayor of this town. I will protect it and its inhabitants; I swear to my dying breath!" he declared and tried to run towards the tavern. Nami tried to stop him out of concern.

"Stop; you can't defeat Buggy," she protested.

"Perhaps but there are just some fights that a man can't run from; isn't that right?" he demanded. Luffy smiled.

"That's right old man!" he encouraged.

"Shut-up; don't egg him on Luffy! It's dangerous for him to fight Buggy!" Nami tried to reason. However, the mayor turned to her with tears in his eyes shocking her even further.

"I know it's dangerous!" he stated. He then took off without Nami holding him back down the streets towards the tavern.

"I'm coming Buggy the Clown!" he shouted as he ran. We watched him go until he turned the corner of the next street over and I yawned stretching towards the sky.

"He's got it all wrong…it's Nose-Horn!" I said. Nami turned on me.

"What?" she demanded. Meanwhile Zoro cocked an eyebrow at me.

"How come you keep butchering names like that?" he wondered warily. "You did the same thing with that Captain Morgan guy back on Shell Island." I just shrugged.

"Eh, it's just something I do to people who don't give me any reason to show them respect. Just something to think about in the future by the way!" I chuckled as did Luffy. Meanwhile, Zoro just shook his head and Nami sighed at my simplicity.

"Well at any rate; it looks like this party's getting more exciting," Zoro commented. Luffy laughed.

"It sure is," he stated. Nami turned a frown on the two.

"This isn't the time for laughter," she told them. Luffy just turned to her with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry; I've started to grow fond of that old man. There's no way I'd let him die" he assured her. I giggled and started turning towards where the mayor had run off.

"Well in that case," Zoro sighed as he started walking too. I jumped with joy.

"Yay; it's Luffy's and Zoro's turn! Meanwhile…" I turned to Nami. "Wanna slip into the treasure room and see what we can find?" I asked. Nami seemed taken aback by the offer. Luffy laughed.

"Oh yeah, and if we're headed for the Grand Line; we'll need to swipe that chart back too," he commented.

"Heh; are you gonna join our crew or what?" he asked. I looked to her with newfound excitement.

"She's joining our crew?" I asked. Nami just looked annoyed at the proffered hand before responding.

"I'll never sink so low as to become a pirate!" she stated. However she tsk'd and slapped Luffy's hand with a mischievous smirk.

"But I suppose we could team up in order to achieve our common goal!" she stated. Luffy's grin widened as did my own and I bounced up into the air giddily.

"Woohoo; we have a new crewmember and she's a girl! Yeah!" I cheered as we all started on our way down the roads towards the tavern. As we got closer, I could pick up on the mayor's voice yelling at Nose-Horn to face him and Nose-Horn mocking him. Once there, we witnessed Nose-Horn holding the mayor by the neck and crushing his throat as he lifted him off the ground.

"I'll never let you destroy this town; if it costs me my very life…Agh!" the mayor choked. Luffy was able to make it to the mayor in no time.

"So be it!" Nose-Horn declared just as Luffy grabbed his wrist and held on tight. Nose-Horn gasped in shock and cursed as he saw us. Then Luffy looked up at the clown and grinned darkly.

"I'm here to kick your ass clown," he stated. "Just like what I decided earlier and that's a promise!" I giggled as I watched Nose-Horn try and wriggle his way out of my brother's grasp. He eventually let go and Nose-Horn reclaimed his hand. He growled down at us.

"Damn you; Straw Hat!" he cursed and when I waved at him he seethed with anger. "How dare you! You can't just waltz up to me and treat me like this! I'm Captain Buggy and I won't stand for it!" he screamed at us. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"No you're not, you're Captain Nose-Horn!" I stated simply.

"What'd you say!?" he screeched. I shrugged.

"You heard me," I said. Luffy laughed at the exchange while Zoro tsk'd with some humor embedded in it. Nami turned to us with a serious face.

"Listen, all I want is the chart and the treasure and then I'm outta here got it?" she asked. Zoro just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I got it," he replied not really caring. I looked at her and smiled wide.

"Right…got it," I replied sarcastically with a wink. She growled at me and I giggled.

"Hey you brats; listen to me when I'm shouting at you!" Nose-Horn shouted at us. We gave him an unamused look.

"What was that?" I shouted back. Luffy snickered and Nose-Horn seethed in anger at me. Meanwhile the mayor coughed some as he tried to regain his breath from Nose-Horn crushing his throat like that and managed to rasp out a few words.

"Get outta here; why did you follow me? You're outsiders; leave this to me!" he paused to suck in a breath.

"This is my fight; I need to be the one to protect my town!" He then bent down and picked up his spear he'd had and stood up.

"Buggy is my fight!" He declared getting ready to charge again. That is until Luffy took him by the back of the head and knocked him unconscious off the side of a building wall. The mayor slumped down and Luffy simply brushed off his hands.

"What the hell do you think you're doing; why'd you knock out the Mayor?!" Nami demanded. Luffy just turned to her and smiled simply.

"Because," he answered. She didn't know what to think.

"That's not a bad idea," Zoro stated. "If the old man had continued to fight he would've died. It's for the best." I nodded sagely.

"Yup!" I agreed. However it did little to dissuade Nami's temper.

"You didn't have to hit him," she yelled at Luffy. "I'm sure we could've thought of a more humane way to deal with the situation!" I just shrugged.

"Decorum would've taken too long. His way was quicker," I stated simply. Nami rounded on me.

"Oh don't you start!" she snapped. Luffy then walked forward to readdress Nose-Horn.

"Here goes," he stated. He took in a huge big breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. "BIG NOSE!" he shouted. I snorted and fell down laughing.

"Geez Luffy, way to keep it classic," I laughed hard as Nami held her head with panic and worry.

"That's the worst thing you could've called him!" she said. Meanwhile, The Nose-Horn pirates had turned pale and Nose-Horn himself was becoming red as he heated up with rage.

"You damn flashy idiot!" he growled from his place on the roof. "I won't stand for this. Take aim and fire the Buggy Ball!" he screamed at his men. In no time at all the cannon was facing us. I smirked.

"Is that really the best thing to do?" I asked no one in particular.

"Why'd you have to say that?" Nami demanded as she then ran and took cover.

"Come on Luffy, Al, we gotta go!" Zoro declared slightly panicked. I just waved him off.

"You go ahead," Luffy and I told him in unison causing him to freeze for a moment before he decided to trust us with whatever crazy scheme we had cooked up. There was a good reason why I wasn't worried nor was Luffy. Years of perfecting this technique on Mt. Corvo had finally paid off and now it was time for its first battle test.

"Time to die!" hollered Nose-Horn.

"I'm fine," Luffy told him. "Just watch!" The cannon was fired; the cannon ball coming straight for us. Luffy took up his stance and…

" **Gum-Gum…Balloon!** " he called and just as the cannonball was on top of us, he'd expanded his whole body outwards like a giant balloon, catching the cannonball then bouncing it right back towards Nose-Horn and his crew who all wore matching expressions of shock. The cannonball connected with the roof they were standing on and exploded upon impact. Zoro looked rather annoyed as I laughed probably thinking that a warning would've been nice. As the wind and dust settled, Luffy looked up at the mess with pride.

"Alright; I got him!" he exclaimed. Nami had turned on him completely frazzled by the scare.

"Just what the hell kind of monster are you!?" she demanded to know. I looked back and smirked.

"Oh come on…you couldn't have forgotten he's a rubber man right?" I asked somewhat amused.

"That's not the point!" she yelled. "Besides; you could've warned us first!" I just shrugged and looked back towards the wreckage to see what kind of tricks Nose-Horn had pulled off to get himself out of this one. We heard a grunt and a grumble as two unconscious men floated forwards.

"Now that's just low," I said simply. Luffy nodded in agreement beside me.

"How dare you try to flashily do me in!" growled Nose-Horn from behind. He dropped his unconscious men before him. Nami just shook her head.

"Unreal; using his own men as a shield," she said with disgust. I hummed.

"Now I feel like his current nickname doesn't do him justice anymore," I stated. "Still…what could be better than Nose-Horn?" While I attempted to find the answer, I heard the shifting of wood as someone burst up looking around frantically.

"What in the world just happened here!?" cried Roji. Then his eyes fell on me and they nearly jumped out of his head.

"No! It's you!" he cried with fear. I grinned and waved.

"Yo; how's it hanging?" I asked casually.

"Agh, it's that damned rabbit girl!" he continued crying out. "Captain Buggy; we have to be careful…that girl's a lot stronger than she looks; I saw it myself! She threw me and Richie all the way over the tavern remember!?" I frowned.

"Oh so I went overboard?" I questioned. "Whoops!" Roji just continued shaking with fright.

"That's not all; I have a feeling her friends are just as terrifying!" Nose-Horn turned to him glowering.

"I already know that you idiot! I was there remember? Plus we just saw Straw Hat bounce that Buggy ball back at us with his own devil fruit powers too. I'm not blind!" he whacked Roji over the head with his fist causing the man to cower in fear and hold his new sore spot. Just then, a pile of rubble was moved as a giant form was held up. The rubble fell to reveal a not looking so great Mitchie being held up as a shield by another man we hadn't seen before.

"How do you plan to respond to this insult…Captain?" the man asked. Nose-Horn looked back at the speaker.

"Oh Cabaji," he acknowledged. "I don't know I'm too angry to even fart!" he growled. I snickered at the comment.

"Put him down Cabaji!" Roji shouted at the new man. "What the hell did you do to my Richie?" he demanded to know. The man called Cabaji – ooh I'm gonna have to work on that one – just looked back at Roji with disinterest.

"This cat?" he questioned. "I used it as a shield to keep my clothes from getting dirty!" he stated before dropping the lion harshly on the ground. Roji freaked out and leapt over nearer to his pet.

"Richie!" he cried. The lion panted indicating it was still alive. "No Richie; please say something; Richie!" Roji continued to plead. I noticed from my vantage point as the lion regained full consciousness. However, one look at the man before him who'd used him as a shield and he was hiding behind a wall of rubble to get away from him. Roji turned with angry tears towards Cabaji and attempted to attack.

"Damn you; you bastard!" he yelled as he threw a punch which was easily dodged by Cabaji. Then Cabaji took the opening and kicked him in our direction right towards me. I looked on just as disinterested and sighed.

"Outta the way!" he tried to warn me. I just cocked an eyebrow and brought a leg up.

"How about…a lucky rabbit's foot instead!?" I suggested as I kicked him into a nearby wall. He went unconscious and slid to the ground leaving a gaping in surprise Nami; an impressed Zoro and a laughing Luffy.

"Nice one," he congratulated me. I just tapped my foot on the ground to shake it out some and glanced back up at the clown with a wild smirk on my face.

"Of course; it's my specialty!" I replied. The man named Cabaji came up behind Nose-Horn and glared evenly at us.

"Captain Buggy," he said.

"Yes Cabaji?" his captain replied.

"Allow me to repay their disrespect," he offered. Nose-Horn grinned wickedly.

"Fine!" he agreed. "But make it a good show for everyone!" he ordered. With that, Cabaji took to the air then landed riding on a unicycle and quickly came at us, sword in hand. As he drew closer his own wicked grin deepened.

"You may call me acrobat Cabaji; Captain Buggy's chief of staff!" he growled. "You will pay for your insolence," he said as he came at me and Luffy, Sword now ready to stab. I turned to Zoro.

"I think this is the guy you've been waiting for," I stated. "The others are too pathetic." He nodded, readying his swords. Then in one fluid motion, he was in front of us causing us to take a step back as he blocked the oncoming blade.

"I'll clash swords with you!" he declared.

"It's an honor; Roronoa Zoro," Cabaji replied. "As a swordsman myself, I relish this chance to slay you!" he stated. Zoro grinned.

"The honor's all mine!" he returned with an excited look on his face. After holding off for a little while the two leapt back – which was odd to see executed by the unicyclist. How about Uni…something? It just has to be embarrassing and totally annoying.

Then before I could think of anything they were at it again, clashing blades with the sound of steel on steel ringing in the street. I watched for a while until it started getting boring. So I made my way over to Nami's side.

"Hey; I say that while they're busy dealing with those two idiots, we make a run for that treasure room!" I whispered.

"Huh?" she questioned turning to me with suspicion in her eyes. I grinned at her.

"Hey c'mon; I have no need for riches like that. I told ya I only want one thing and if it happens to be there then it'll be the only thing I take I swear!" I did the whole cross my heart hope to die bit to see if I could move her. She began to think it over. Then a smirk dawned on her face.

"Alright, I suppose it's okay!" she agreed and I grinned even wider. She turned to Luffy.

"I'm gonna take this opportunity to go get that chart n' treasure," she told him. "Then I'm outta here, got it?" He looked back at her slightly confused. I didn't get it either but would address it later.

"It's been fun and good luck not dying and stuff!" she called over her shoulder as she dashed into the alleyway I'd already slipped into.

"Yeah okay; thanks!" Luffy called after even though he didn't quite get it. Nami and I were able to reach the other end of the alley and I followed her until we were right behind Nose-Horn and his unconscious crew.

It was quite easy for us to find the door to the cellar. Once we were able to pry that off, we snuck off downstairs and found a door with a lock on it.

"Here we are," Nami breathed. I giggled, getting giddier by the moment.

"Yup; this is gonna be fun. Now open it already the suspense is killing me!" I complained. She raised a questioning eyebrow but broke the lock anyways with her Bo-Staff.

"Okay but why're you so giddy about this?" she asked as we entered into the dark room. I grinned.

"You'll see," I stated simply. I couldn't see it but I could tell she was rolling her eyes at me. It remained dark for a bit but Nami found a lantern and managed to light it. Then we turned towards the large pile of loot in the room. I giddily hopped over as she herself took it in with excitement.

"Whoa, look at all this stuff! And every last bit of it's mine!" she giggled happily

"Unless I find my thing!" I reminded her. She rolled her eyes at me again and I grinned. However, my ears twitched and I picked up some movement nearby. A sword's blade was brought up near Nami's neck and we both froze.

"What do you think you're doing with our treasure?" grumbled a man although his speech was slurred. I sniffed the air and grinned when I realized he was drunk. I smirked at him.

"What's it look like we're doing?" I asked. "She's a thief and I'm a pirate!" He stumbled forwards into the light holding a sake bottle.

"By order of Captain Buggy; anyone who gets near the treasure will…" he paused. "Uh…there should be more in there!" he slurred as he checked his bottle of sake to see why it was somewhat empty. I shared a quick grinning glance with Nami. She leaned in to whisper to me while he was distracted.

"Time to work my feminine charm," she chuckled. I sniggered while trying to stifle it. Suddenly, she clutched her chest and fell to the floor.

"Oh it hurts!" she exclaimed. The drunken man didn't know how to react.

"Hey…you…alright?" he asked.

"My chest just started hurting really bad ugh!" she continued the act.

"Your chest?" the drunken man questioned leaning in to check as Nami turned, shifting her shirt some so the most cleavage would should. He was immediately reduced to a drooling mess as his eyes bugged out of his head. It was a good thing Nami was so well developed. Then without warning she'd assembled her staff and knocked the guy out again.

There was silence in the room as we stared at the drunk happily drooling on the floor before we outright burst into quiet laughter. I slapped my knee as quietly as I could while holding the side of my stomach.

"That was too funny," I sniggered. Nami grinned wide.

"I know; and way too easy!" We continued giggling as she came over and we found a bag to put all of the treasure into. As we loaded the bag, I kept holding my compass out trying to see if it would react. After a while and as the treasure started dwindling I grew a frown on my face. Nami apparently noticed.

"Hey…what exactly are you looking for anyways?" she wondered. I glanced up from what I was doing and smiled sheepishly.

"They're called mystics; ancient artifacts that've been hidden all over the world with special properties and powers. My grandfather gave me one for my last birthday with him which he got from Gold Roger himself. I've vowed to find them and learn their secrets. My grandfather said that when two artifacts are near each other they react to one another. I'm just trying to see if anything here will react to my compass!"

"I see," Nami responded. "Well…I hope you find something." Just then she picked up another item to put into the bag and once she removed it, a golden telescope fell out of the pile and rolled down to the ground. It was glowing. I gasped as I realized that my compass was doing the same and when I opened it the arrow was spinning wildly out of control. Nami stared at the sight with wonder.

"So…then that thing's a…" she trailed off as I crouched down and approached it. I reached for it; hesitated for but a moment then I curled my fingers around it and the lights of both items glowed brighter upon contact. Finally they died out, leaving me sitting and staring at the newest item to add to my collection. I turned back to Nami with a grin slowly spreading across my face. Then I let out a giddy giggle.

"Now that was exciting!" I stated. She nodded. Then I put the item into my hip pouch and went back to helping load up the rest of the treasure with Nami.

"So when it dies down like that…" she started.

"The artifacts aren't exactly dead," I explained. "They each have their own kind of life and can choose to serve whoever they want. When a mystic chooses a master, then only that master can access their power. So this means I'm the master of two mystics. My compass and this telescope." I curled up to contain my giddiness so it wouldn't get us caught.

"Man I can't wait to see what it does!" Nami couldn't help but giggle at my giddiness as we finished packing up. Once done, we both stood wiping sweat from our brows.

"Man; this haul's a good one!" She exclaimed. I nodded.

"Yup. Why don't we get it to the ship?" I suggested. Nami cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Duh, you're our crewmate now remember. Oh but of course if you have a bigger ship than our little boat, we could put the treasure on that!" I piped in. She simply shook her head.

"Look; I'm only gonna say this once," she said. "I'm not going to become a pirate with you guys. I already told your captain that I hate pirates and that I'll never join their ranks. So it'd be nice if you helped me get this stuff to 'my' boat okay?" I hummed to myself in thought as she went to start hauling the treasure out of the room.

"But if you're not a pirate…then what's with that weird tattoo on your shoulder?" I asked her. She immediately froze. Then without warning she was twirling her staff on me and held the point of it in my face. I put my hands up in surrender.

"Woah, hey what's wrong?" I tried to reason.

"How'd you know about that?" she demanded to know. There was a new sense of rage behind her eyes now that sent shivers down my spine. I knew those eyes; the eyes of someone in pain. The same eyes I'd had when I thought I'd never be free back when I lived with 'them'. I gulped and backed up some.

"Hey, don't get so peeved, your sleeve just shifted while we were loading up and I kind of noticed it. It looked like a pirate's mark so that's why I asked." She straightened and turned away from me, shadows covering her eyes.

"Well if I were you, I'd forget what I saw and mind my own business!" she snapped at me. "And don't you dare mention this to your so called captain. He doesn't need to know!" She started to walk away; hauling the treasure with her. I decided it was best to leave it at that and shrugged.

"Yeah cool whatever," I replied. "I don't even know what I was talking about!" I went to stand up then my eyes fell on the passed out drunk man. There was an odd looking key hanging around his neck so I knelt down and held my compass up to it to see if it would glow. It didn't but that didn't mean it left my interest. I reached out and snatched it, standing up again and looking around. My eyes landed on a chest with an odd shaped keyhole just sitting on some table.

I walked over to it then tried the key in the hole. The chest opened and inside was a wrinkly piece of paper. I picked it up and unfurled it to look at it. I then called out to Nami again.

"Hey Nami…didn't Luffy say we had to steal some chart too?" I asked. She stopped tugging on her bag of stolen stuff and looked back in the room. She saw me holding the map and her eyes widened with realization.

"Oh right; that's the chart of the Grand Line. You should take that!" she stated before going back to tugging at the large bag of stuff. I rolled my eyes at her and walked over. Then I held a hand up for her to stop. She cocked a curious eyebrow.

"What?" she wondered. I simply gave her the map then using all of the strength I'd gained training with my two older brothers, hefted the giant sac of treasure over my shoulder. True I strained some under the weight but it was nothing compared to carrying giant crocodiles and alligators or other animals home after a good day of hunting in the woods or simply raising hell in High Town.

"C'mon," I said. "Let's go before Nose-Horn finds out. Although, I dare say he and Luffy are having a satisfying duel up there." She smiled some before we both crept out of the hole and decided on a path to get away from the trouble. However, as we went Nami seemed to become uncertain and uneasy.

"What's the matter?" I asked her. She shook her head of her thoughts as we rounded another corner.

"What…oh nothing!" she replied trying to fake a smile. I looked down as we walked.

"I'm really sorry," I apologized. She seemed surprised by it.

"Huh, what're you talking about?" I looked up at her sheepishly and with apologetic eyes.

"I stirred up bad memories when I brought up that thing earlier," I stated. She flinched and I knew I'd hit dead center. I turned back around as we went.

"Heh, don't worry I won't go butting in on your business. I understand what it's like to have a past that's bothersome to remember." I spoke sadly as I walked. She just shook her head beside me.

"No…lets' just…forget about it okay? Besides, I guess it wouldn't be so bad…sailing with you guys for a bit." she added silently. I glanced at her and offered my own smile. Then we made it to the end of the road and I froze, not taking another step.

"Huh, what's the matter?" she whispered. I held up a hand to stop her.

"Luffy and Nose-Horn are about to duel," I whispered. It was true. We'd come right back to where all of the action was taking place and now were watching as Nose-Horn lifted himself into the air adorned with knives.

" **Chop-Chop…Rice Blocker!** " he called out as he sent his lower half twirling towards Luffy like a buzz-saw. Luffy dodged it by jumping into the air and letting it pass him by. Nose-Horn grinned at this.

"Can't move in midair…can you?" he taunted. I merely rolled my eyes at the assumption.

"Too bad!" he cackled as he let fly the knives from his hands. Luffy just grinned as he stretched his arm to the side, catching a wooden post and pulling his momentum to the side.

"No you're wrong!" he called back. Then he landed on his feet as Nose-Horn's buzz-saw bits came back and attached themselves to him again. He laughed with amusement.

"Oh how interesting!" he stated. Luffy grinned.

"You're not so bad either," he said. "But here comes… **Gum-Gum Pistol**!" he cried as he shot his punch forward at Nose-Horn's face. Nose-Horn dodged to the side and the fist missed.

"They're neat abilities alright," Nose-Horn stated. "But they leave you wide open!" He raised a sword in an attempt to cut off Luffy's arm but Luffy had grabbed the trunk of a tree in the square and pulled.

"I'll chop you up!" cried Nose-Horn.

" **Gum-Gum…** " Luffy started saying as his body started rocketing towards Nose-Horn's. He held his other arm out intending to get him with a lariat move.

" **Chop-Chop Quick Escape!** " Nose-Horn cried in the last second, severing his own head from his body as Luffy's arm passed through the spot it used to be and his body continued going until he landed in a pile of rubble. Nose-Horn cackled as his head floated back to where it belonged and I felt inclined to roll my eyes at him.

"Not good enough, Gum-Gum," he chided. However, Luffy wasn't out of the running yet as he rolled back then burst out of the rubble pile again and placed his hat back on his head. He frowned.

"Damn," he said. "You keep breaking into pieces!" Nose-Horn Just cackled and readied himself for another attack.

"They're still going at it?" Nami questioned in a whisper beside me. "I can't believe these guys!" I chuckled.

"They are pretty crazy huh," I said. "It's okay though because Luffy's not gonna lose to a guy like that."

"Uh huh," she said distracted by watching the fight. She was silent for a bit before she crouched down to where I'd crouched down to not be seen.

"So um…hey…Allen was it?" she asked. I turned to her. "I'm…I'm sorry for yelling at you back there by the way. It was…it was uncalled for." I shook my head waving it off.

"That's okay, I was prodding where I shouldn't be prodding and upset you. I'm at fault." I explained. She shook her head this time.

"No, you didn't even know but I snapped at you like that because…well because…this mark…" she reached up clutching where I'd seen the mark.

"Is like a scar," she finished. I stared at her, noticing that her eyes had become distant and pained again. She brought her head up to gaze into the sky and breathed out. I cocked my head to the side.

"I don't get it…if you don't like it so much then why not remove it?" I wondered. "It is possible to do that ya know." She just shook her head and looked down at the ground bitterly again.

"My 'captain' gave it to me and let's just say…he's not someone I could ever care for!" The bitterness behind her words once again took me back in time. A time when I was a helpless little girl trapped in a world of cruelty; the only people who ever cared for me being taken away on the same night a raging inferno took home from so many people. It had been a prison; one I simply had to escape. If I hadn't lied like I had then they never would've stopped hunting me. I nodded with understanding.

"I know the feeling," I stated catching her attention. "Our situations are probably different but I do know what you're talking about…being oppressed by a force so much stronger than you could ever be. It's almost unbearable and hard to breathe."

"Yeah," she agreed quietly.

" **Chop-Chop Cannon!** " Nose-Horn's voice echoed in the clearing calling our attention back to the battle. We watched as Nose-Horn sent his detachable hand flying holding knives between each finger right towards Luffy. Luffy managed to catch the hand and hold it at bay for a bit before Nose-Horn called out a new command.

"Separate!" And with that, the hand separated loosening Luffy's grip before reattaching and continuing on managing to cut Luffy on the side of the face. My breath caught in my chest as Luffy was sent rolling back. My gaze became more intense and murderous towards Nose-Horn. I couldn't help gritting my teeth in annoyance and anger.

"What; what's wrong?" Nami questioned beside me. My jaw ground together some as I spoke.

"That bastard…he doesn't even realize what he's done!" I said. "Now Luffy's not gonna hold back!" Nami furrowed her brows.

"Why because he got cut?" she wondered. I shook my head as I watched my brother sit up, ignoring Nose-Horn's next jibe at him as he picked up his hat and stared at it.

"Know this and know this well," I spoke to Nami. "If there's one thing vital to know about Luffy, then it's the fact…that if you disrespect his hat then there will be hell to pay! This is important crew rule number two!" Nami cocked an eyebrow at that.

"Okay so what's rule number one?" she asked.

"That he's the captain no matter what!" I stated. "There are other rules you should probably accommodate yourself with too while you're with us but we'll save that till later."

"Okay," Nami replied slowly and slightly deadpanned. We turned back to the fight.

"You Bastard!" Luffy hollered while turning a dark glare on Nose-Horn. Nose-Horn just sneered back.

"How's that?" he wondered mockingly. "Am I not supposed to scratch your face or something?" Luffy looked back down at his hat still angered.

"Bastard," Luffy continued. "No one damages my lucky hat and walks away from it alive!" He then whirled on Nose-Horn with ferocity in his eyes.

"This hat is my only treasure and anyone who so much as lays a finger on it is gonna pay!" Nami and I just watched from our hiding place with me shaking my head at Nose-Horn and Nami really going deep into thought.

"Geez and I didn't really think there was anything that could faze him," she commented. I nodded sagely.

"Yeah; it really burns your gut when someone threatens your treasure like that," I spoke with understanding.

"And Luffy said he made a promise with it too," Nami added, probably recalling an earlier conversation she had with him.

"That's right," I said. "A great pirate known as Red Hair Shanks was hiding out in Windmill Village at some point when Luffy was only seven and Luffy kept trying to get him to take him with them. However, Shanks told him he was too young but that didn't really deter Luffy's determination," I spoke knowingly. He'd only told me the story fifty dozen times since I'd met him. Big Sis Makino too now that I think of it.

"Hmm, it seems that hat has a history to it," Nose-Horn implied. I narrowed my eyes on him. Luffy straightened.

"That's right!" he confirmed.

"Is it really all that special?" Nose-Horn teased. I could tell he was up to something.

"I see," Nami spoke beside me as we tried to tell what he was up to. I continued the story, leaning forward on the balls of my two front feet trying to see better.

"One day, a group of mountain bandits came down and entered the bar while the pirates were there drinking and eating. They made quite the entrance so that all eyes would be on them. Then the leader demanded sake but the pirates had drunk the whole place dry. Regardless, Shanks wanted to avoid conflict and so offered the last bottle that hadn't even been opened to the leader but the leader smashed it over his head feeling insulted."

"…You should protect it!" cried Nose-Horn. He sent his floating hand missing of a knife since he'd thrown one to get Luffy off balance. As soon as his hat was open, the hand with the remaining knives rushed forth and skewered it taking it out of Luffy's hand. Luffy's eyes widened in horror. I gritted my teeth.

"The bandit insulted Shanks and his crew that day then walked off finding the bar not even worth their time while Shanks and his crew just laughed them off. Luffy was angry and thought they should've fought back. Ironically he's a stress eater and there was a treasure chest wide open with a devil fruit inside." Nami face palmed.

"You mean he didn't even realize he was eating a devil fruit?" she asked with a dry humored groan. I chuckled some.

"You have to admit, it is a pretty funny way to get powers. So after Shanks discovered that and told him about it , the crew took off on a little voyage for a bit a day later. Luffy was still mad with them even then. However, the bandits came back and openly insulted Shank's crew in front of him and Luffy stood up to them to defend them.

"The bandits tried to finish him but Shanks stepped in claiming that if anyone threatened his friends then he wouldn't be so forgiving as if they were being disrespectful to him. Things took a turn when the lead bandit managed to get away with Luffy after his whole group was defeated. He escaped on the open ocean and threw Luffy to the fishes.

"There's a local sea king that inhabits those waters and so it devoured the bandit when he wasn't paying attention while Luffy was left wide open. That's when Shanks came in and gave up his left arm to save him. After that, Luffy understood Shanks better and vowed to become a better pirate than he ever was. Shanks gave him his treasured straw hat and upon that they swore a promise to one day meet again when Luffy had become the greatest pirate in the world; the king of pirates!" I finished the tale, now seething as I watched Nose-Horn claim the straw hat puzzling over how it could possibly be a treasure. Nami blinked beside me.

"That's…quite a story," she said. I turned to her with a beaming smile.

"Ya know, I'm not telling you to fall head over heels or anything but…don't you think that this world is made up of a lot of scumbags as well as great people?" I asked. She looked down at me curiously.

"Um…yeah; I guess you could say that," she nodded. I nodded too.

"Then don't you think it's a bit cruel to judge those good people who just so happen to choose living their life as a pirate?" I could tell my question was confusing to her as she'd never thought of it before. I turned back to watch my brother still and listen to Nose-Horn drabble on about his own past with Shanks.

"I know you said you hated pirates but I don't think that's all that true," I stated. "Because you've only had the misfortune of meeting bad ones. But I bet if you keep up doing what you're doing, you'll run across some really cool ones too." Nami only decided to smirk and roll her eyes.

"We'll see," she told me, "We'll see." We continued watching and listening to Nose-Horn's recount of his time with Shanks and I had to hold myself back from outright laughing at the sheer idiocy of the guy compared to Shanks. Didn't he understand that there was more to being a pirate than just looting treasure? By the end of the tale it was too hard to contain my laughter so it came out in harsh sniggers and snickers. Nami had her own smile on her face.

"Wow and I thought he was supposed to be scary before," she stated. I sniggered more.

"Ya know if he had brain one in that head of his he probably could've come up with a better plan," I laughed. Then Nami and I broke out in a fit of giggles over the matter. She then tapped me on the shoulder to indicate we could probably use the distraction to escape. I nodded then steeled myself as we then tiptoed across the wreckage of the building and the plaza. I noticed Nose-Horn rising in the air and declaring death on anyone who dared to steal his treasure. Then he noticed Nami and I and I could tell what he was going to do next.

"Get back here you thieves!" he hollered. Then he sent his upper torso towards us with knives in his hands ready to slice and dice us up. Nami cried out with fright while I just turned ready to make him kiss my lucky rabbit's foot. I got ready as he came in, Nami attempting to pull me away.

"You don't stand a chance of escaping from me!" he declared. "Now; I'm going to flashily chop you up!" Nami's eyes widened as she instinctively hid behind me although I was shorter. Just as Nose-Horn was about to deliver the final blow however he halted abruptly in midair unable to breathe anymore with an expression of utmost pain etched on his face. I smirked as the face gave me a new idea for his nickname.

"Okay, okay, this one's closer to yours," I stated. "From now on, you're Bugly k?" He didn't respond except to fall down to the ground in agony. A quick glimpse of my brother kicking his lower half in the balls gave me a pretty good picture of how things went down.

"Ow, my ball; my balls; that was a cheap shot!" he quivered out with as much regained breath as he could manage. Meanwhile Luffy just turned around grinning like a madman.

"Don't run off yet; we're not done!" he told Bugly. I grinned evilly down at the quivering figure before me. Then I glanced up beaming a smile towards Luffy.

"Hey Luffy guess what?!" I called. "You won't believe it but I actually found a mystic in this guy's loot; can ya believe it!" Luffy grinned and waved back happy for me.

"Great! You have to show me later!" he called back.

"Okay!" I replied. Nami had already regained her ground.

"Allen hurry up. I wanna get my treasure back to the boat already!" she exclaimed. We heard shifting and a growling voice from below. We looked down and I back up some as Bugly started to push himself up.

"Did you just call it your treasure?" he rasped angrily. Nami glared down at him from over my shoulder.

"That's right, you heard me!" she clarified. "I'm a thief who steals from pirates and I just stole a lot of treasure from a really annoying one! So that makes this my treasure now understand!?" Across the way Luffy slapped his fist into the center of his palm as if just getting the understanding of the idea.

"Ah…that makes sense," he said. I rolled my eyes at him then trained them back to Bugly who was shouting up at us.

"That's pure nonsense!" he roared. "That's my treasure and just because you stole it from me doesn't make it yours you dirty sneaky thieves! Honestly, what'd your parents teach you!?" Nami's eyes became disinterested and indignant.

"A criminal trying to lecture another criminal? Ridiculous," she stated with a mocking smile.

"What's that!?" Bugly demanded.

"Whatever," Nami continued. "The day I take a morality lesson from you is the day I stop being a thief!" She then stuck her tongue out at him and I couldn't help but laugh. He was really getting pissed now. He growled as he started lifting himself with his arms.

"I hope you're ready for the consequences," he growled at us. "Now…here comes… **Chop-Chop…** AGH!" He yelped once I'd jumped on his head, pushing his face into the dirt.

"Oh shut it Bugly," I told him with an annoyed look on my face.

"Thieving works both ways. Ya can't swipe somebody else's treasure without having yours swiped at some point too. And that's only part of the life of a pirate which you just don't seem to get. No wonder Shanks is way cooler than you and I haven't even met the guy!

"What's more is when it comes to being a pirate you're only concerned with your ego; so much so that that story you just told doesn't warrant any sympathy from me. In fact I think it's rather lame and you getting stuck without the ability to swim and losing that precious treasure map is more your fault than Shank's.

"Face it you're a second rate pirate with a superiority complex bigger than your own nose. You're probably really weak too; I mean…why else would you only be plundering in the weakest of all the seas?" With that I leapt back off of him and grabbed Nami by the wrist.

"C'mon, let's get this treasure outta here while Luffy takes care of this idiot!" I stated. As we walked away, I could sense that he was floating up again behind us. Then before I had time to react…

" **Chop-Chop Festival!** " screamed an enraged Bugly and suddenly we were bombarded by a series of body parts – again…EWW! I covered up the treasure and Nami hid the map as we began to run away from the annoying Chop-Chop man. He took a moment to glance back at my dumbfounded brother who was also growing quickly annoyed by his antics.

"Try to save your pesky little friends now Gum-Gum!" he challenged. I couldn't really pay attention to Luffy as I was trying hard not to get hit or touched by the floating pieces of an idiotic man. Luckily however, Luffy seemed to find something to do as his face began to contort into expressions each different from the last. They were all pretty funny. Finally Bugly seemed to have enough.

"Damn it, knock it off!" he hollered back.

"No, you knock it off!" Nami hollered, bringing out her Bo-Staff again and trying to whack Bugly in the face. However, Bugly caught the stick and lifted her up with it.

"Thanks for the stick but I want my treasure back now!" he threatened turning to me. "Or else your little friend Nami is minced meat!" he warned. I just stared at him indifferently as he began to raise a knife up. "I'll count to three and I want that treasure back or else!" I noticed Luffy beginning to run over to us as fast as he could but I returned my gaze to a neutral one as he began counting.

"One…" he started. "Two…" A yell was let out nearby as Luffy came barreling in and stamped him in the face.

"Three!" I said cheerily finishing the count as Bugly was sent flying and Nami was dropped back on the ground. I went to lend her a hand as Luffy spoke to Bugly.

"I already told you; you haven't finished dealing with me yet!" he told him. Bugly ended up crashing into the pavement but kept right on going, digging a trench with his face until he bonked his head against a building wall. He didn't seem like he was getting up for a while. I leapt up in the air happily.

"Sweet; that was awesome!" I complimented my brother. Luffy just grinned continuing to stare after Bugly.

"Consider that finishing move a gift from the old Mayor guy," he said. Then he brought his foot back down and tapped it some to shake it out a bit. Nami sighed a sigh of relief turning towards Luffy gratefully.

"Thanks," she said. "I owe you one." Luffy just smiled back as I grinned giddily after having finished our first full fight with pirates.

"Sure, no problem," Luffy replied. We heard some slow clapping and turned to see Zoro coming up.

"Not bad Captain," he applauded. "Not bad at all." Luffy grinned wide and giggled happily. However, our victory was short lived as we sensed movement in our peripheral vision.

"This isn't over yet Gum-Gum," Bugly said getting ready for another attack. His head and shoulders holding up his captain's coat behind him floated above the trench and one could argue that it was a trick of the light but it seemed as though he was producing literal heatwaves. I watched as he glared at both me and my brother.

"Aw, he's still alive!" Luffy commented. I deadpanned and turned to him.

"Devil Fruit users do tend to bounce back more," I pointed out. "Just look at what all you've survived up to this point."

"Shut-up!" Bugly shouted at us in rage. "How dare you flashily do this to me!? You'll pay for this!" He growled. Zoro stepped forward a bit slightly unsheathing a sword.

"Should we go two against one this time?" he wondered. "He can separate his body."

"Hm…maybe…" Luffy hummed getting into another stance. I looked around noticing we were short one member.

"Hey, where'd Nami go?" I wondered. However, we were cut off by Bugly again as he once again yelled from the top of his lungs.

" **Assemble…Chop-Chop Parts!** " he cried. Five seconds later, he was whole again and yet…not quite. He was shorter than last time with a face looking rather shocked. For a while we all just stared at him.

"Um…is that supposed to happen?" Zoro queried. I just shrugged. Bugly continued to look confused and even more so humiliated.

"Hey, looking for these Buggy?" teased Nami and we turned to see she'd successfully rounded up all of his other pieces and hog tied them into one bundle. She set a foot delicately and mockingly on top. Bugly meanwhile choked on his own rage and shock as he saw he'd been duped.

"What; my parts!" he wailed. Luffy and I then broke out into raucous rounds of laughter at our enemy's current predicament. Meanwhile Zoro just smirked and tsk'd in approval with humor imbued with it. Luffy sent his rubbery arms stretching back and I laughed even harder knowing what the clown was in for.

"Uh oh, it looks like he gets the special send off!" I laughed with glee. Luffy chuckled.

"Thanks thief!" he congratulated Nami then focused on his target. Bugly's eyes widened with horror as he realized what was about to happen.

"Stop it now!" he pleaded desperately. Luffy just grinned.

"See ya Bugly!" he said using my new nickname for him. I laughed even more at that as he called out his attack.

"Now… **Gum-Gum Bazooka!** " Luffy yelled having brought his arms back with great speed. His hands connected with their target and the momentum sent the small Bugly flying off into the horizon until he twinkled like a star at a distance. Once his arms came back with their usual twang I ran over and high five him.

"We won!" I cried. "Down goes Bugly and his pirate crew!" I continued singing playfully and slightly off key in the humor of the moment and Luffy and I started doing a little circular dance in the plaza with our arms hooked around one another. We laughed and sang while Nami and Zoro just stared at the spectacle from the side wondering where our sanity had sailed off to.

Finally the dance between brother and sister died down and Luffy took a much needed breath. Then I watched sadly as he walked back over to his hat which had been nicked, stabbed and stomped on by the clown bastard. It got my gut churn with distaste for him. I walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe we can get it mended," I suggested. He gave me a smile and turned to ruffle my hair. Usually I didn't like it when he was doing it for fun but if it was for endearment then I didn't mind so much. Besides, it always felt good to have my hair ruffled by my big brother. I smiled regretfully feeling I probably could've prevented it since I'd been nearby at the time.

"I'm sorry your hat got all torn up," Nami commented from the side. We turned to see that she'd collected her Bo-Staff again and was bowing her head shyly. Luffy just smiled at her and put the somewhat ruined hat on his head.

"Humph, don't worry, I can still put it on," he reassured her. "And I got Bugly outta here so I'm satisfied for now!" I could tell he was still hurting from seeing his hat being disrespected in such a manner. Nami shifted uncomfortably as she pondered something but finally seemed to make up her mind on the matter she was thinking of.

"When I have time…I'll fix it for you…if you like," she said quietly. Luffy was surprised by the offer and turned to see if he'd heard right.

"What's that?" he asked. Nami puffed her cheeks out a little as some red dusted the tops of her cheekbones.

"I said I'd fix your hat okay!" she stated stronger. "Now can we please get off this island already?" I laughed as she struggled with being outright nice to a boy she hadn't met too long ago. Then she reached into the front of her shirt and pulled out the chart of the Grand Line, holding it out to him.

"Here, it's the chart. You need it don't you?" she questioned. Luffy was brimming with happiness.

"You're giving it to me?" he asked slightly shocked.

"Cuz you save my life," she told him. Luffy accepted it and turned around excitedly.

"Wow, thanks Nami!" he exclaimed. He looked at the piece of paper with wonder. "Now I finally have it; a map of the Grand Line! Hooray!" he yelled throwing his hands up in the air. I rolled my eyes at his simple mindedness.

"Oh does this also mean that you'll be joining my pirate crew?" he asked excitedly. Nami's face reverted to a scowl.

"I told you no matter what, I'll never join a pirate crew!" she stated strongly. I cocked my head at her curiously as her eyes fell on me and her thoughts shifted. She smiled after a while.

"But after some thinking it over, I figure hanging around with you guys is profitable enough so I'll give it a go!" She turned back to Luffy with a smirk on her face.

"But just remember…I'm only joining you…because it's in my interest!" she stated. Luffy grinned wide and I giggled some as I knew the meaning of that statement had completely washed over his head.

"Sure!" he said. Zoro just shook his head as he came up to stand with us.

"Well then, shall we be going?" he questioned. Luffy turned to him with a face splitting grin.

"Yeah, let's go!" he agreed. I jumped in the air for joy again.

"Whoo hoo, we've got a navigator!" I cheered. Zoro chuckled at my childish behaviour and we were about to get going when Nami suddenly remembered something.

"Oh yeah, we should probably wake up the mayor now that the fighting's all over," she suggested. We turned to regard the unconscious old man and I hummed in thought.

"Yeah, that's probably best. After all Luffy hits hard and for all we know he could've given the guy a concussion. It's never good to sleep with a concussion." I stated sagely remembering what Grandpa and Grandma taught me when I was younger. Sister Makino also told me this too so now I knew for sure. Of course I never quite grasped the why part.

"Alright, then let's wake him up," Luffy agreed and we all approached the mayor. However, we were stopped short by a voice calling out to us.

"You there!" he called. He held a spear and pretty much the rest of the town could be seen behind him with their own kind of weapon. "You're not residents of this village!" the man pointed out.

"Nope," Luffy agreed simply. "And who're you?"

"What was all that cannon fire we heard? It sounded like there may have been a battle here earlier," the man spoke again. "If you know anything then please tell us." Nami sighed with relief at the revelation that they were only citizens. I just beamed a smile their way and waved.

"Oh yeah…we were just kicking Bugly's ass; that's all." I stated. The villagers seemed confused.

"Huh…Bugly?" the guy questioned. Then his eyes roved down towards where the mayor was knocked out and he tensed.

"Oh, mayor!" exclaimed another guy.

"Oh no; say something!" pleaded another guy as they all approached him

"Can you hear me?"

"He's out cold," a woman stated.

"The pirates definitely did this!"

"How horrible!"

"No…I'm the one who kicked that old man's ass," Luffy then stated matter of factly. The townspeople then became angered as they turned their glares on us. Nami tensed.

"Hold on; you didn't have to tell them that did you?" she whispered with panic. Luffy just turned to regard her with the simplest of answers.

"It's true," he protested.

"Maybe you should explain to them so they don't get angry!" she hissed at him before coming back to attention as the townspeople confronted us. Their spears were raised ready to attack.

"Tell me," the first man who'd spoke to us before demanded. "Why exactly did you knock our mayor out and leave him in the street to die?"

"You better explain yourselves!" another man added.

"Who are you; are you with the pirates?" demanded another. Nami seemed as though she was trying to think of a way out of this. However, Luffy being the simpleton he is, answered the only way he could.

"We're pirates," he stated matter of factly. I nodded.

"Yeah and that old guy got in the way of our battle with those other idiots so knocking him out was the best option!" I added on. However, it didn't seem to help.

"Just as we thought!" the villagers chorused in unison. Then they turned on me.

"And how is that a good reason!?" I just shrugged and Zoro meanwhile started laughing his head off at the mess we'd caused. Nami turned on us angrily.

"Idiots!" she yelled at us.

"But it's the truth," we said in unison. The villagers were livid.

"How dare you ravage and wreck our town with your pointless fighting!" one man shouted at us.

"We won't show you any mercy for what you've done!" claimed another. Zoro smirked at Luffy.

"What now? It doesn't look like they're up for a discussion!" Luffy just grinned wide as did I.

"Run!" Luffy yelled out then with all the speed we could muster, we turned tail and ran down the streets of the town back towards the docks. The angry shouts of the pursuing villagers behind us echoed after us and we kept right on going.

"How do you always make things worse?" Nami wondered annoyed. Luffy just chuckled.

"This is a good town," he stated. Nami furrowed her brows and I nodded with agreement.

"Yeah; just look at how mad everyone's getting for the mayor. I don't think they'd listen to our side of the story even if we begged!" Luffy giggled.

"Yeah; we're turning here!" he called. I corrected my course, not slowing down and hopped into the side of the buildings leading to the alleyway before using the wall to jump back to the ground again and keep on running. That is until we had to jump over a certain dog.

"Shushu?" Nami asked incredulously.

"Doggy?" Luffy questioned. The dog let us pass but then as soon as we were through he started barking up a storm at the villagers stopping them from coming after us. I giggled.

"Oh, he says he's repaying us for earlier; mostly me for keeping that big hungry lion away from his treasure!" I explained after hearing his barks. Nami stared at me incredulously.

"So wait…you can understand animals?" she asked. I snickered and nodded.

"I picked up their lingo while growing up in the jungle. It's not hard when you're part bunny," I pointed out.

"Huh, that sounds like it could be useful," Zoro stated as we turned down another road. I giggled some more.

"Heh, yeah!" I agreed with a nod.

"Later Doggy!" Luffy called back before we were too far away. We continued running until finally we saw the docks and raced to the beach part where our two boats were; the one Zoro and I'd arrived in and the one Nami had stolen. We stopped by the boats for but a moment out of breath.

"That was close," Nami panted. "We only made it cuz of Shushu. Why do we have to put up with this?" she wondered. I grinned at her.

"Because we're pirates and you're a thief," I told her. She deadpanned at my simple and obvious answer before whacking me upside the head. I yelped and held the new hard spot. Although her fist wasn't as strong as Gramps' fists of love, it still hurt pretty bad. Luffy only got off lucky because he's rubber.

"Does it matter now?" Luffy asked. "We're done here anyway." Nami sighed.

"Yeah maybe so but…"

"Hey, is this your boat," he interrupted. I turned my attention on the little boat that was hers.

"It's great," he praised. Nami shook her head and sighed fondly.

"It's nothing special but I guess it'll do," she commented. "I stole it from some pirates a few days back." I giggled at the thought of any pirate being duped by Nami. Then they popped up from hiding.

"That's a big mouth you've got," sneered the one in the middle. "We've been waiting for ya, ya little thief!" he chuckled darkly.

"Never thought you'd run into us here now didja girly?" teased the one on the left. Nami just froze and laughed nervously. Luffy turned to her oblivious.

"You know these guys?" he asked.

"Yeah, sort of," Nami tried to explain.

"Hey it's not just sort of," the middle guy spoke again. "We're bound together by fate! So are these your friends? I guess we'll have to punish them as well!" he laughed.

"You might wanna recheck that idiot," Zoro growled, slightly unsheathing his sword. The three idiots froze as they then decided to get a better look at who they were dealing with. I took a position standing right next to Zoro and grinned evilly.

"So we meet again," I chuckled darkly. The three idiots we'd saved from drowning earlier froze up and after a moment of pause shrieked and jumped away as though they'd been electrocuted. They were on their hands and knees begging for mercy thereafter.

"We're not worthy; we're not worthy," they cried. Nami glanced at us warily.

"Okay, so how did you guys meet again?" she wondered. I turned to her with a cheeky grin.

"They were just sitting in the water while we were rowing after Luffy. Then they tried to take over the boat and we taught them why that wasn't such a good idea." I giggled making Nami join in.

"Wow and I thought the squall I left for you guys was bad enough!" she laughed. Eventually, we had their help pushing off from the shore. Nami and I took the Bugly boat and Luffy and Zoro took the one we'd first arrived in. As we took off I waved back at the three idiots as we left.

"Oh by the way, we kicked you Captain's ass and you guys are probably the only ones still conscious. So be careful of the angry mob!" I shouted back. Luffy laughed out loud as I settled down and sighed leaning up against the small exterior of the little boat's mini cabin.

"Alright, now we've got a navigator; who's up next captain?" I asked. Luffy took some time to think about it for a second before raising a thoughtful finger.

"The musician," he stated. Nami furrowed her brows at him.

"Don't you think you should prioritize who you bring on first?" she asked. He turned to her questioningly.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Nami just shook her head.

"Never mind," she sighed. Suddenly a shout from the shore called our attention.

"Hey wait…young ones!" shouted none other than the mayor. He stood on the docks out of breath as though he'd just run all the way there and he probably had. I wondered why nobody was with him. He panted heavily a few times catching his breath and seeming to sort out some of his thoughts. We all waited for what he had to say. Finally he looked up at us with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.

"Thanks! Thank you!" he called after us. Zoro grinned, Nami and I smiled and Luffy giggled.

"Don't worry about it!" he called back. "Take it easy!" We continued sailing afterwards contentedly until Nami became panicked.

"Agh, what happened to the loot we stole?" she demanded near hysterics. "Half of it's gone!" She turned on me immediately and growled.

"You did this!" she accused. I just shrugged and jabbed a thumb over at Luffy in the other boat.

"His orders," I stated. "He though we should leave some behind so the people could rebuild what was destroyed." Nami started trembling with rage and turned on Luffy.

"Oh yeah and just how much did you leave behind!?" she demanded. Luffy looked confused before pointing back to me.

"Al's the one who divided it. I just said leave enough for them to fix their town!" she was fuming back at me again. I shrugged once more.

"It was only about five million beris," I told her. "They're gonna need it!" She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt seething.

"You were supposed to be on my side!" she hollered. I looked disinterested. "How could you!" I put my hands up defensively.

"Hey c'mon! I left you the higher amount since they didn't need that much and I was only following Luffy's orders besides it's not like you can't just steal more treasure from somewhere else," I pointed out. Nami still seething turned to Luffy enraged.

"But that was my treasure; do you know how hard I worked to steal it!?" she demanded to know.

"Hey but I helped," I complained.

"Oh shut-up!" she shouted. Then she grabbed Luffy's head and started trying to push him into the water with Luffy doing his damn best to stay above it.

"Hey, cut it out Nami; I can't swim," he tried to remind her.

"Yeah, that's the whole idea!" she screamed back.

"If you want it so bad then just go back and get it!" he shouted at her.

"I can't do that; you do it!" she retorted.

"No!" he refused. The spectacle continued and Zoro and I found ourselves laughing at it. I myself had to avoid the same treatment by jumping into Luffy and Zoro's boat for a bit to avoid her wrath; only hopping back over when her temper had simmered down some. Zoro finally sighed after having laughed his head off.

"Well…for better or for worse, looks like we have a navigator in our crew!" he stated. I giggled.

"Yeah; and she's awesome and scary!" I turned to her who was glowering at me and grinned wide. "I like her already!" I stated. Then I sat down again and pulled out the new telescope I'd gotten from Bugly's treasure trove. Luffy leaned over having recovered from his episode.

"Ooh, that looks neat. What does it do?" he asked excitedly. I turned to him with a grin on my face.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But I can't wait to find out!"


	6. SV The Best and Worst Liars

**_Act I: Scene V_**

 ** _The Best and Worst Liars_**

* * *

"There's absolutely no way we'll make it to the Grand Line in this condition," Nami stated matter of factly. One look around at our current predicament was all the proof we needed. Luffy turned to regard her, a pretty much completely finished apple in his mouth.

"Huh, you're right; we're gonna need a whole lot more meat!" Luffy said through the apple as he chewed then tossed the rest of the fruit core and all into his mouth.

"Eating fruit every day is for the birds!" Zoro nodded in agreement.

"We'll also need some booze," he added only to get hit upside the head with an apple thrown by an irritated Nami. Luffy caught it and began eating it as soon as it bounced off of his chin and I giggled.

"Shut-up you boneheads!" Nami barked annoyed. She took an apple for herself.

"As much as I agree on those first two factors," I started. "I think what Nami means is that we probably need a ship. We probably wouldn't even survive going up Reverse Mountain in these things!" I pointed out.

"Reverse what now," Luffy asked through a mouthful of apple. Nami just sighed and patted me on the head.

"Thanks Al, I needed that," she stated. I nodded.

"Any time," I replied knowing full well how much sanity probably meant to her. So I tried my best to make the most of it.

"Anyways, she's right. We're going to need a ship and soon because the Grand Line is full of other pirates who're also looking for the One Piece and I doubt they're sailing around in crappy boats like these! Not to mention the four of us can't possibly amount to an entire crew and we're low on equipment. We're definitely going to need a lot more to survive on those waters." She finished taking a bite out of her apple. I nodded.

"Not to mention how embarrassing it will be if we show up in Grand Line without a pirate mark either! That's important too!"

"Yeah," Luffy agreed having faced front again. Then he turned to me again. "So Al who's left on our checklist? We've got a badass swordsman and a navigator. I'm the captain and you're the wizard…" I put my metaphorical thinking cap on and thought hard about it.

"Hmm, we discussed having a sniper like Yasopp then we're going to need a chef before we get to Grand Line; one who's really good at what he does. We'll need a shipwright and a doctor at some point and then you want a musician while I want an archeologist!" Nami furrowed her brows at me.

"An archeologist?" she pondered. I turned to her with a grin on my face and held up my compass from around my neck.

"Yeah, to help me discover all the little secrets of these artifacts." I leaned back gazing up at the cloudless sky. "Oh whoever it is has to have a knack for danger and so on cuz these things are taboo!"

"Taboo?" Zoro questioned from across the way. I lowered my head and nodded.

"Yup. These artifacts are relics from the one hundred year gap in history the world doesn't know about. They're like Poneglyphs only those are giant stones of information and these babies are vessels of power and their own conscience. If the world government ever finds out I have them then they'll totally be after my head!" Nami's face seemed to pale considerably at the notion while Zoro's face was that of confusion. Meanwhile Luffy just laughed.

"Yeah, so that means we'll have to get an extra strong crew if we wanna out run em!" he continued laughing while Zoro held me within a serious gaze.

"You know, taking on the world government like that is pretty serious. I mean I get we're all pirates here but is there any particular reason why you'd get into something like that when you know it's so dangerous?" I thought about it for a moment before returning a wide grin.

"I'm like Luffy," I stated. He gave me a questioning look. Then I held up my compass. "This compass is the first mystic I've ever had and it's the most special to me because my grandfather gave it to me on the last birthday I ever spent with him and grandma. They died shortly after that and I promised to find the rest in memory of them." I paused and held it in my hands, turning it over a few times and getting lost in my memories.

"This particular mystic was found by both my grandfather and Gol D. Roger on one of his voyages. Grandpa said that both their ships got caught in the same storm and that he and Roger got separated from their crews. They wound up on the same island and after they met they decided to work together for a common goal. So they made a game of it and decided to see if they could find any treasure while they were waiting for rescue.

"They searched high and low trying to find something; anything that could be interesting until they were about ready to give it up since they'd almost reached the other side of the island already. However, they ended up finding a cave with many treasure chests filled with treasure and therein found this here compass.

"They took up as much as they could carry and decided to follow the compass until they found their crews again. Then grandpa gave all of the treasure to Roger because he said he didn't need it and Roger left him the compass not taking a 'no' for an answer. He told him that it was a mystic and described what this one did which was lead one to their heart's desire and destiny.

"After that they parted ways and grandpa decided to follow the compass until he found grandma. They fell in love got married and lived peacefully in East Blue. Then eventually he gave it to me. It's one of my most precious treasures." There was some silence after a while before anyone spoke again.

"Wow, that's quite the story," Nami said. I nodded before placing the compass back where it usually hung and looked up smiling.

"It's because this mystic was a gift from them and they loved the thrill of adventure that I'll risk whatever I have to, to find the others. Even if it is taboo and I could get in trouble!"

"Well, there you have it," Zoro stated, accepting my answer to his question without questioning it further. I sighed, grateful that I didn't have to touch up on that milestone just yet. My past was my past but I felt that once I was ready, then soon I'd be able to share it with my new crewmates and family on the seas. Until then, I'd keep it as tight lipped as possible. Nami sighed and walked to the head of the boat we were in with her map.

"Anyway, that aside we should be coming up on an island with some settlements on it just to the south of here and it looks like we might be able to get our ship and some of the supplies we need there as well." Luffy immediately had a smile on his face.

"Fresh meat at last!" he shouted to the heavens.

"And some good booze as well," Zoro chipped in.

"Is that all you think about!?" Nami demanded to know. An annoyed tic mark began forming on her forehead and I chuckled.

"Only cuz they don't have it yet," I told her. I sniggered as she tried to calm down from the boiling point. I didn't think that Luffy could survive another attempt to drown him and Nami was stronger than she looked.

We sailed on for a while longer, each doing our own thing. Zoro fell asleep again, Luffy continued eating up our food supply and Nami was looking over her charts to make sure we were making good headway. Meanwhile, I'd taken out the telescope I'd gotten from Bugly's treasure to mess around with it again. It'd been almost a day and I still hadn't figured out what it could do yet. The suspense was killing me.

I tried holding it up to my eye again but all I saw was the regular horizon. No matter how many times I looked through it, nothing changed. I tried shifting the lenses again but that didn't really do anything much. Then I tried looking through the opposite end of the telescope but it was just the same only the other side was tinier. I huffed some with frustration, blowing a few strands of my crimson hair out of my face. Then I tried to recall if grandma or grandpa may have said anything about mystic's powers that I could've maybe forgotten.

However, Nami called our attention to get us ready to pull into a beach area surrounded by cliff. We turned the rudders and steered our little boats to shore finally landing after some time. Luffy leapt out excitedly looking around.

"Ugn, it feels good to be on dry land again," Zoro yawned having just woken up from his nap and stretching towards the sky.

"There's a village around here somewhere right?" Luffy asked with anticipation. Nami nodded checking her map.

"Yeah," she said. "It looks like a small one though."

"Ooh, ooh then there's meat; there's meat; there has to be a place to eat meat in this village!" Luffy exclaimed trying to get a good look at the map as if it would show him where to go. Nami held the map away while he drooled at the mouth.

"Forget about meat for a minute would ya!" she ground out. I laughed lightly at the exchange before my ears picked up on something. I might not have been in hybrid form but my hearing was still sharp from years of training. I could also sense another creature's fear even though I wasn't a predator which was pretty damn cool and convenient since I could sense it coming from the small group of four newcomers immediately.

"Hey," I hissed. "Don't look now but we've got company!" The others looked to me then seemed to notice the feeling of not being entirely alone. Luffy seemed ecstatic.

"Ooh really, where; who are they; do they have meat!?" Now I was the one who wanted to whack him upside the head but I knew it wouldn't do any good. Zoro meanwhile got into a discreet ready stance, unsheathing his sword a bit. However, it was now that our foe decided to attack. Suddenly it was raining bullets…er…pellets?

Luffy did his best to dodge them while I dodged more efficiently. Zoro was too far ahead to be hit but stayed on guard while Nami raced back to the boats for cover. Meanwhile, I decided to get the drop on said newb and managed to hide behind Luffy. Once there, I followed his movements, transforming into a full bunny and burrowing down under the sand.

Using my senses to see, I tunneled my way from the beach into the cliff - hardening my bunny paws some like what I'd discovered how to do while practicing simple earth magic - to get by the bedrock where I could sense the body heat of who I assumed was the leader. I stealthily burrowed up behind him noticing that a dozen or so pirate flags had been raised and the guy I was planning to jump scare stood proudly on his part of the cliff laughing triumphantly.

"I am Usopp; leader of the invincible nation of pirates that reigns over this island! You stand before a living legend; the most revered pirate who ever lived! I am the great Captain Usopp!" I rolled my eyes at his spiel. It was so obviously a lie and I could probably do better. He jabbed a thumb at himself proudly but I could see the slight quaking of his legs at this level. I grinned. This was gonna be fun.

"Surely you know that plotting an attack on this island would mean certain death! My army of eighty million super being pirate soldiers would squash you like bugs!" He struck a dramatic pose to emphasize his point.

"Awesome!" Luffy shouted with excitement earning a weird look from Zoro and Nami. Honestly he was too guidable sometimes for his own good. Nami rolled her eyes.

"You expect us to believe that?" she questioned the one called Usopp from the beach. Instead of denying it, he immediately entered panic mode.

"Agh, she knows!" he exclaimed with fright; his voice going up in pitch.

"Yup, well now I know," she said coyly. Usopp then proceeded with the dramatics, his performance from earlier completely falling apart. Once again, I could probably do one better. After all I've been trying to pull one over on Ace for years and although our oldest brother can see right through me, I feel I've made great progress.

"Oh how could I have been so dumb; I practically told her I was lying; I'm such an idiot; so stupid!" he cried. Nami didn't seem to know how to react.

"What, he was lying?" Luffy asked bewildered turning to Nami for confirmation. However, she didn't get a chance to even glare at him scathingly.

"Curse you, you crafty tactician!" he yelled down. However, he adopted another confident pose, jumping right back into it. "Eighty million might've been an exaggeration but I have a great many men under my control!" Nami gave him a sly smirk.

"My guess is three," she stated. All of a sudden three little kids popped up from their hiding places in frightened surprise.

"Agh, she does know!" they cried together. They immediately dropped some of their flags and ran off with the rest in fright, screaming all the way. Usopp turned to them in horror.

"Hey, where're you guys going? Come Back!" he hollered after them. He turned back to Luffy and the others with more fear on his features than before now that he was left alone with the 'scary pirates'. I watched Nami bend down and pick something up from the sand, inspecting it.

"A pirate using a slingshot," she said smirking up at him. "Well now I've seen it all." She blew the sand off of the pellet. Luffy laughed out loud at that finding joy and humor with the encounter.

"That's pretty cool!" he claimed, still laughing. I think the laughter may have somewhat offended Usopp though because then he seemed to get some of his courage back.

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you!" He said. "I'm a proud man and I won't stand for it!" He then pulled out a green slingshot and another pellet, loading it into its spot and pulling back on the band. I could tell it was really durable considering how worn it looked so I was quite impressed. Meanwhile, Luffy's laughter had stilled as Usopp got ready to fire.

"This is your last warning," he warned. "Or you'll get to see why they call me…Proud Usopp and not push over Usopp. Is that clear?" He waited for an answer but Luffy just lowered his hat over his eyes, giving off a new air of mystery.

"You've already seen for yourself just how good I am with this thing! So…you know I could rival anyone carrying a pistol!" I shook my head as I realized he was only buying himself time and merely using his so called pistol as a threat instead of a weapon. Now I knew where this was going to go as I watched Luffy.

"Now that you've drawn your pistol are you willing…to use it?" he asked. He smirked up at him, looking past the brim of his hat. It made him look cool and dangerous. Meanwhile Usopp's mouth fell open agape as he didn't quite comprehend the question. I could tell that he was wondering if he should be worried or not.

"Guns aren't for threats; they're for actions! Are you willing to risk your life?" he asked. I tried to stifle a giggle and my sensitive ears picked up on Zoro's chuckling at his worlds. I watched as he unsheathed his sword a little bit.

"I can assure you, we're real pirates!" he said. "Consider your next move very carefully!" I really had to hold it in now so I didn't blow their fun up. I watched as Usopp struggled with his options, still holding his shot back, ready to fire. He stood sweating with fear at the intimidating figures of my brother and our first mate while Nami and I watched with interest from different vantage points. He stood like that for half a minute before he finally dropped his pellet and the band twanged forwards empty. He fell to his knees sulking.

"Real pirates definitely have a lot more punch behind their words cuz they can actually back em up! That's so cool!" he whimpered. All was silent for the moment and I decided to make my move. I transformed back into my human form right behind him.

"And ironically we don't have guns!" I said loud and cheerily right by his ear. He jumped and screamed out startled before falling off the cliff to the sand below. Luffy burst out laughing his head off with Zoro as I took my spot where Usopp had been standing and lay down on my stomach peering over the cliff to look down at him with a wide grin on my face. He looked back up in shock.

"Wait, how'd you get behind me so fast!?" he demanded to know. I just grinned and giggled.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," I told him. Luffy took a breath from his laughter while Zoro tried to reign himself in. Nami had been laughing too but was now trying to stifle it. Usopp grumbled some as he rolled over, picking himself back up and brushed himself off.

"Also, I stole that," Luffy admitted readjusting his hat. He had his own wide grin on his face when Usopp turned around.

"Huh?" he asked.

"I stole those words from Red Haired Shanks; a pirate I know," he explained. Usopp's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"What?! You know Red Haired Shanks? You really are a real pirate! Wait you've gotta be lying; do you really know him?" he wondered. Luffy continued smiling and nodded.

"Yup! I know your dad too! His name's Yasopp right?" Once again, Usopp did a double take and I giggled at his expense as he stumbled over his own feet and fell back on his ass. He looked up at the smiling Luffy with awe.

"You're right, my old man's name is Yasopp but how…uh…how in the world do you know him?" he asked.

"He's on Shank's crew duh," I chimed in getting his attention back on me.

"And he's the greatest marksman I've ever seen in action," Luffy added. He grinned. Usopp looked from Luffy to me then back again.

"So then…you both know my old man?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Nah, I just know what Luffy's told me and what Grandma and Grandpa told me when he was visiting our home island for a year." Luffy nodded and Usopp seemed to get really excited.

"Wow, if that's so then…you've just gotta tell me about him; c'mon please!?" he begged. Luffy hummed in thought thinking it over.

"I suppose we could cut you a deal," I called down getting his attention again.

"What kind of deal?" he asked. I grinned.

"In exchange for some good stories about your old man from Luffy, you treat our crew to lunch at the nearest possible food place. We'll be needing meat, booze and whatever else to nourish our apples only diet. Then you've gotta find us somewhere we can get a ship and some supplies k?" I continued grinning as he took it all in. Finally he stood with a smile on his face.

"Alrighty then, if that's the deal then consider it made!" he stated. "Now c'mon, I know the greatest spot in town to rustle up some grub and chat. Then I'll see about finding you someone who can get you supplies and a ship!"

"Alright!" Luffy cheered. Usopp began leading the way with Luffy hot on his heels. I stood up on top of the cliff and hopped down elegantly landing on the balls of my feet and followed beside Nami. She turned to me with a smirk on her face.

"Nice goin squirt!" she complimented then ruffled my hair. I giggled at the nickname and stuck my tongue out silly like before facing back around again and proceeding to catch up with my brother.

Nami hadn't been kidding when she'd said the village was small. Apparently the greatest food joint in town was the only food joint in town – not that it really mattered – but honestly there was nothing else that might be compared to it and it simply said food. We entered and found ourselves a booth while Usopp let us order anything we wanted.

Pretty soon Luffy was chowing down on a hunk of meat, we had apples in a basket in the middle of the table and I was enjoying my own meal which also consisted of meat and a variety of other things too. It was good after having been subjected to only apples in the past few days. I hoped we could find a chef soon so we didn't have to dine on souly fruits and veggies. Quite honestly I wasn't looking forward to accidentally catching that sea illness grandpa talked about in one of his stories. It's called scurvy I think.

"So I met your dad when I was just a little kid," Luffy told Usopp through his mouthful of food upholding his end of the bargain. Usopp leaned in wanting to hear more.

"Hold on, does my old man really know Shanks?" he asked.

"Know him? When I met your dad he was part of Shank's crew so they were probably pretty good friends!" Luffy explained.

"I can't believe it," Usopp stated incredulously. "My old man sailing the seas with famous pirates!" Usopp continued chewing his meal contentedly.

"I haven't heard from him in a while but I bet he's still with them." Luffy went to pick up an apple as he continued.

"He was a heck of a sharpshooter. I'd keep him on my crew!" He chuckled as he remembered his time with Shank's crew. I could tell he was reminiscing about them because his eyes had grown somewhat distant with a twinkle in each and a content smile on his face.

"He used to go on and on about his son. I think I heard enough about you to make my ears bleed. And let me tell you he was a great pirate!"

"Yeah, really?" Usopp asked wide eyed. He then sat back thinking on the subject. "I sure am proud of my old man. He leapt into a pirate's life on the endless sea. He chose a life of real adventure!" He'd turned his head to regard a sketched picture of a ship in a storm before turning back to us. I giggled some into my mug.

"Hey Luffy, tell him about the time Yasopp got drunk then got your head stuck in his beer mug again. That one's my favourite!" I giggled as I pictured my older brother once more with a beer mug stuck over his head trying to get it off while the guy who'd done the deed blathered on about high sea adventures and his kid. Nami sniggered at the notion too while Zoro just tsk'd with humor imbued in his voice.

"Sounds like one hell of a story," he said. Luffy laughed at the memory.

"Oh yeah; I remember," he said mischievously. "He was drunk and about to start another story about you and I told him I'd already heard it so he stuck the beer mug over my head to shut me up so he could tell it again!" he laughed out loud now as did Usopp and Nami and I sniggered into my mug again.

"Eventually he had to get it off of me but it was stuck so tight it wouldn't budge. I sat there waiting for anyone else to come up with a better idea when all of a sudden he fired a shot at a certain point in the glass so it broke without cutting me. It was terrifying because he was just as good a shot when drunk. Although he did have to buy big sis Makino a new beer mug." The crew was in full hysterics now with our newest friend joining in and quite honestly in a little town like this I believed it was the loudest this place had ever been. Oh well, that's what happened when Pirates came to town for lunch. Suddenly I remembered something vital.

"Oh yeah," I exclaimed turning to Luffy then Usopp with a big grin.

"Luffy and I were discussing who else we should have on our crew not so far back and you just so happened to pop into the conversation because we're looking for a good marksman of our own! You're pretty handy with that slingshot so whadya say?" I asked. Usopp sputtered on his drink as he stared at me wide eyed.

"S-seriously?" he asked flabbergasted.

"Oh yeah, I remember that conversation now," Luffy stated before turning to Usopp with an equally wide grin.

"Maybe it's not so coincidental that we ran into you after all," he said. Usopp blinked then put his hands up flailing them around frantically.

"Now hold on a minute, this is a lot to take in," he exclaimed. "I mean, I've always wanted to be a brave warrior of the sea and all but this is just so sudden I…I think I'll need some time to think it over and stuff; yeah that's right!" Luffy chuckled.

"No problem," he reassured him. "We'll be sticking around until we get supplies and a ship anyway so you can take all the time you need." Usopp nodded, thankful for the time however much or little was given. We didn't exactly know when we'd be setting sail after all. Nami turned to him expectantly.

"Oh yeah and speaking of a ship and supplies; do you think you could uphold that part of the deal soon? We'd really appreciate it!" Usopp stopped short trying to think of a solution.

"Well um…this is a rather small village," he said.

"What about that giant mansion on the hill over there?" Zoro suggested, gesturing out the window. I looked out it while sipping down my drink through a straw and took it in. Nami's face brightened.

"Hey, do you know them Usopp? With all that money, surely they could help us get our boat!" she exclaimed. Suddenly Usopp's facial features became hard and serious towards all of us.

"You stay away from there!" he blurted out protectively. We all looked at him curiously making him realize his slip up. He receded back within himself then looked to the ceiling nervously avoiding eye contact.

"Uh, I just remembered something that I've really gotta do!" he said standing suddenly from the table. "Everybody knows me at this place so uh…stay and eat as much as you want! Well uh…gotta go!" he called rushing for the door.

"Hey, what about our boat!?" Nami demanded.

"I'll get back to you!" he called back as he rushed through the door, throwing his bag over his shoulder as he went. Nami stared after him.

"Why was he in such a hurry to get out of here?" she wondered. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"He's got a secret rendezvous, duh," I stated what was obvious. They all looked at me.

"What?"

"Secret rendezvous?" they asked simultaneously. I just shrugged as I sipped up more of my drink.

"What, it's classics one o' one. First of all he became protective when we mentioned approaching the mansion; then he decided to ditch us right after seeming to remember something important. He's probably going to the mansion without us because he has a secret girl waiting to see him." Nami raised a calculating eyebrow.

"You really think he has a secret girlfriend?" she asked. I just shrugged.

"Or just a friend who's a girl. I don't presume to know that much about relationship status okay!"

"Okay, fine!" she replied. Then she sighed. "Well, what are we gonna do now?" she wondered to herself.

"I say we eat as much as we want like he said," Luffy stated. Nami gave him a deadpanned stare.

"Really? We're supposed to be looking for a ship but all you can do is satisfy your stomach," she grumbled. I laughed.

"Well just look on the bright side Nami; it's better he does it here than eat us out of food on the open water!" I continued laughing as I too continued with my meal. Nami just sighed and shook her head before returning to her food.

It wasn't too long later that we'd eaten a fair share and put it on Usopp's tab that the doors to the place burst open and the three kids from earlier appeared brandishing small wooden swords.

"The Usopp pirates have arrived!" they declared in unison. We all looked towards them with curious glances. They looked rather nervous.

"Captain Usopp…is gone," the one on the right said.

"Do you think they…" whimpered the one on the left. The green headed one steeled himself and came right to our table holding up his sword. I couldn't help but notice that all of their heads looked like vegetables in a sense.

"Fess up you filthy pirates! What have you done with our beloved captain? Tell us now!" he shouted. His friends had caught up and stood behind their friend.

"Yeah tell us now!" they chimed. Just then, Luffy had finished stuffing himself full and was patting his stomach with a content sigh.

"That meat sure was good," he said not paying the kids any mind. I suddenly got a brilliant idea and glanced over at Zoro who smirked seemingly having the same one. I smirked back and snickered. Meanwhile the cabbage patch trio held each other for dear life.

"What meat?!" demanded the one that reminded me of a carrot.

"These pirates are cannibals!" stated another. Nami started laughing and Zoro leaned over the table on his hand.

"What have you done; you savages!?"

"If you're looking for your captain…" Zoro started in a malicious tone.

"Then you'll probably have to come back in twenty four hours," I told them.

"T-twenty four hours?" asked the one that looked like an onion. I grinned.

"Well yeah, that's how long it takes to fully digest," I said. They paled. Zoro licked his chops.

"Mm, mm, mm, he sure was a tasty one that's for sure," he said. They trembled.

"Yup, nothin beats roasted alive. Those screams will be my lullaby tonight. But you know what, it's missing something."

"Oh and what would that be?" questioned Zoro with and evil grin. I looked at the three trembling kids.

"Why, we haven't had desert yet and judging by the amount and size; there should be enough for all of us if we split two for two then take the third one with us for a snack along the road…

"Sounds good to me; what say you captain? Want some desert?" Zoro asked Luffy. Luffy immediately perked up looking around.

"Ooh desert? Where?" He looked around more until his eyes finally fell on the pale and trembling kids. They held each other as he looked at them blankly. Then his face lit up with a wide innocent smile as he said,

"Hi!" The kids finally started screaming and scrambling back as fast as they could from the table and wound up backing into the counter. Unable to agree on a direction they all fell to the ground still screaming at us in horror while Zoro and I were roaring away with laughter. Nami couldn't help laughing too and Luffy was as confused as hell which made it even more hilarious. I myself almost died.

* * *

"Jeez you guys are so mean," Pepper pouted. I giggled some as we followed the three kids towards the mansion.

"I still don't get it," Luffy stated.

"You don't get much of anything, do you?" Nami sighed exasperatedly. Luffy just blinked with confusion and Zoro chuckled.

"Well that's the price for being simple-minded I suppose," he laughed. I laughed again too.

"And to top it off, you're all actually named after vegetables!" I couldn't help but laugh again though I tried to suppress it for their sake.

"Well if that's how you feel, maybe we won't help ya find the boss," Onion retorted. Nami sent me and Zoro a scathing glare. We just glanced at one another afterwards and shrugged not understanding what her deal was.

Finally we arrived at the gates of the mansion. Luffy did a double take as he took it all in and Nami practically had berri signs for eyes. I rolled my eyes at the both of them not seeing the big point. It was just a big house; big deal.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Yeah and if the captain ran off at this hour then this is the place he's gonna be!" Onion stated. I smirked.

"Hah, knew it!" I said. "So he does have a secret rendezvous." The kids nodded.

"Oh, okay; so what in the world does Usopp come here for? Is Al right; does he have a girlfriend or what?" Luffy asked. The kids just laughed and I sent him a glare.

"What no way," said Pepper.

"What gave you that idea," Carrot asked of me. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I didn't say he had a girlfriend Luffy, I just said he had a secret rendezvous which means he could be meeting with anybody." He blinked and shrugged.

"Whatever," he replied.

"So what does he come here for?" Zoro asked.

"He comes to lie," Carrot stated matter of factly. Zoro cocked an eyebrow.

"To lie; that's terrible!" Nami stated angrily.

"He's not a bad guy!" Pepper defended him. "He's great isn't he?"

"Yeah; he's awesome," Onion agreed.

"How's a liar awesome?" demanded Zoro. I smirked.

"You'd be surprised," I told him simply. He gave me a wary look but our attentions were grabbed once more by the three kids.

"Well the girl who lives here; Kaya; has been in a terrible depression that's kept her weak and in bed since her parents got sick and died a year ago," Onion explained.

"She's very rich but all that money couldn't help her recover from her sadness."

"So our captain tells her special made up stories to make her laugh and cheer her up," added Pepper.

"Captain Usopp's the best at tellin lies," exclaimed Carrot. I smiled thinking about what kind of stories he might tell. Even made up, a story was still a story full of wonder, excitement and adventure. My grandparents may not have been liars but they told incredible stories of adventures far beyond the walls and confines of my old life that made me feel freer just listening to them and trying to imagine what they'd be like. A simple story could change a life.

"Wow, that really is pretty nice of him," Luffy said. The three kids nodded in agreeance.

"Yeah!" They spoke in unison.

"The best thing about im is his mischievous side. He's always up to something!" explained Carrot.

"I like him because he's not afraid to be silly," Pepper stated.

"And I like the captain's crazy lies," Onion finished. I nodded my head with every statement.

"I'm liking the sound of this guy even more and more," I said. I turned to Luffy.

"Yup," he agreed. "He's definitely gotta join!" I smiled even wider. The kids meanwhile exchanged curious looks amongst them trying to figure out what we meant.

"So when he tells her those stories, he makes her feel better?" questioned Nami.

"Yup, lots better," Pepper replied. Luffy suddenly fist pumped the air.

"Great! I think we should ask her for a ship after all!" he declared.

"We're not the ones who make her feel better, Usopp is," Zoro muttered. I giggled.

"Yeah but if we convince Usopp to join our crew then she'll be like family right. She'd definitely help us."

"Right so operation, get Usopp to join our crew and get a ship from his girlfriend begins now!" Luffy stated. The kid's eyes widened.

"Woah wait; you wanna ask the captain to join your guy's crew?" Carrot asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah," Luffy nodded.

"Well technically we already asked and he said he'd think about it but now we know for sure we want him to join!" I said.

"You can't do that!" exclaimed Pepper.

"Yeah, who'll lead the Usopp Pirates if he's gone?" demanded Onion. Luffy and I exchanged a look and we both shrugged.

"Maybe one of you guys could be promoted," I suggested. "Who's your guy's first mate?" They paused in thought trying to think it over then they seemed to come to a horrific realization.

"Crap; guys we don't have a first mate!" Onion stated.

"But then if the Captain does wanna leave, who'll be in charge?" Pepper asked.

"Duh, it should probably be me since I'm the bravest," Carrot stated.

"Liar!" the other two replied in unison. Nami gave us a deadpanned side glance.

"Great, now look what you've started," she muttered. I laughed and shrugged my shoulders.

"Well it's not my fault; they could've had this decided ages ago," I told her. She just sighed and shook her head.

"Okay; let's go get Usopp and ask the sick girl if we can have a boat!" Luffy suddenly stated. I glanced up to see he'd already started climbing the fence. I smirked and rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, okay right behind ya," I told him while the others started freaking out and tried to get him down from the fence. However, as soon as they latched onto him after he'd stretched downwards they were all flung into the air with a gum-gum rocket. I rolled my eyes, transformed into my bunny stated and tunneled under the fence.

Once on the other side, I hopped my way over to a giant tree by a window where a young girl was sticking her head out and I could hear Usopp telling his fantasy story. I transformed again and looked up.

"Hey Usopp!" I called. He stopped his story telling and he and the girl looked down at me. Usopp did a double take and nearly fell from the tree.

"Allen? What're you doin' here?" he questioned. I smiled up at him.

"We still need to talk about getting a ship and getting you to join our pirate crew. Also…the others will be falling down right about…" their screams cut me off along with Luffy's cry of 'yahoo' which clearly caught both Usopp and company by surprise. The kids landed in a bush, Nami right beside it in the grass and of course, Zoro was lying face up on the concrete walkway while Luffy had face planted into it. I rolled my eyes at their entrance. Sloppy as usual but that's what one comes to expect from Luffy.

"That worked well," Luffy groaned from the pavement.

"Yeah real well!" snapped Nami with annoyance.

"My goodness, are you okay?" the girl at the window asked. I smiled up at her.

"Don't worry Miss, this happens all the time; they're fine." I assured her. She blinked down at me with concern then back to the now getting up Luffy and Zoro.

"Are…are you sure?" she asked. Usopp then rushed to cover up.

"Ah, don't worry Kaya; she's right this happens all the time. It's the price of being a famous adventurer; they're just some new recruits who heard about me and came to join the Usopp pirates!" he said. I laughed.

"But Usopp that's backwards, we came to recruit you!" I reminded him. Luffy stood up smiling.

"Yeah that and…" he turned towards the one known as Kaya. "I also came to see you. I was wondering if I could ask you a favor!"

"A favor from me?" she asked.

"Uh huh, I was wondering if there was any way you could help us get a boat!"

"A ship actually," I corrected him. She blinked again.

"A ship? I…"

"You there!" a stern voice snapped, interrupting Kaya. We all turned to face a man who was dressed mostly in black, had weird looking shoes on and who was quickly approaching us.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded of us. I noticed that Kaya shook a little like she was slightly worried.

"Klahadore," she said quietly. The man came to stop right before us abruptly.

"Get out!" he commanded then proceeded to use the palm of his hand to lift his rather large glasses up his nose.

"I'll have you know that this is criminal trespassing!" I noticed Usopp had tensed. Luffy meanwhile blinked innocently.

"Uh guys, who's he?" he asked. I leaned over to him.

"Well, judging by the way he's dressed, his already proven snootiness upon entry and by the way he pushes up his glasses and his superior air…I'd say the most evilest man among men in the world of murder mysteries. The butler!" I said dramatically. Luffy's eyes widened epically and he turned to me with his mouth agape.

"Ya mean the one who's usually behind the family murders; plotting to steal the rich guy's money?" he asked in a rushed whisper. I nodded solemnly.

"Yup, that's the guy," I said. He turned back with a look of childlike horror – like what the vegetable trio showed when we were joking with them earlier.

"No way," he said in slight awe. It was no wonder he was astounded. I used to read him those and other stories Grandma and Grandpa had left me with all of the time when we were little. I know that puts an interesting spin on things since I'm younger but I always told them the way Grandpa used to and Luffy enjoyed every single one - even if he didn't always understand what was going on.

"Oh would you two knock it off already; this is serious!" Nami hissed to the side. Meanwhile, Kaya was trying to vouch for us.

"Uh, actually Klahadore…these people are…"

"Not now Kaya," he interrupted her whilst pushing his glasses up again. "You can tell me all about this riff-raff after they've left." He continued to approach again not showing any signs of caring, just hostility. I could tell he was evil when I'd noticed him flinch at Kaya's voice. It'd been a miniscule movement but I'd caught it and it wasn't as though he was afraid of her; it was more like he was annoyed with her and couldn't be bothered to care. Definitely an evil butler.

"Now get out, all of you! Leave now unless you have some business with me!" he ordered. Luffy bit his lip and puffed out his cheeks like a child. Meanwhile, my animal instincts began acting up. I could tell this guy was bad news for real too. Not just from his appearance and my assumptions but…something about him made my nose twitch and my tail tingle and they weren't even out right now. Nami sighed.

"Look, we're just looking for someone who can help us get a ship," she stated. "Do you think you could help us or at least point us in the right direction to someone who could?"

"Certainly not!" he stated rudely.

"What; why not?" she demanded.

"Because you're trespassing and I have no obligation to assist you in any way, shape or form," he replied. Then he turned towards the tree behind us.

"Usopp!" he called out. The tree where he'd sat was empty now but he was still holding onto it from behind. I heard him curse before he began making his way back to the branch he'd been sitting on earlier knowing any further hiding was probably futile.

"You have quite the reputation," the butler continued as he came into view. "You're very well-known in the village." Usopp laughed sheepishly trying to hide his nervousness.

"Sure am," he got out.

"I hear you've been on many an adventure; quite impressive for someone as young as you." Usopp fell for the bait and stood up with pride.

"Usually people who admire me so much call me captain. So it's Captain Usopp to you!" he declared.

"Captain huh?" the butler continued to adjust his glasses. Seriously, can't he get smaller ones that fit on his nose? The butler chuckled darkly.

"Your father also had something of a reputation," he said. Usopp immediately snapped back to reality.

"What?" he demanded. Kaya attempted to maintain peace.

"Klahadore, please just stop," she tried to command but the butler paid her no mind.

"You'll never be anything more than the son of a filthy pirate!" My blood started boiling. I just couldn't stand people like him.

"Who knows what sort of trouble you're up to now. All I ask is that you and your kind leave this respectable young lady alone!" He adjusted his glasses again.

"A filthy pirate?" ground out Usopp, clearly offended.

"You and she are from completely different worlds and you know it!" he retorted. "Is it money you're after, how much do you want?" Kaya's face adapted a look of horror.

"Cease this at once Klahadore!" she shouted. "Apologize at once to him!"

"Hey…calm down Kaya," Usopp stated, turning with concern to his friend.

"I don't believe there is any reason to apologize to this savage young man my lady," he retorted. "My goal isn't to slander; I am merely stating the truth. I sympathize with your situation. You must hate your idiot father for abandoning his family and his village because of his mindless lust for treasure."

"Klahadore stop!" shouted Kaya. Usopp gritted his teeth with anger.

"Don't you dare insult my father ever again!" he spat. He then leapt from the tree using a special grappling hook system from within his pouch to lower him safely to the ground.

"Usopp!" Kaya called trying again to find a way to defuse the situation. On the ground now, in between us and Klahadore, Usopp shook uncontrollably with anger while Klahadore chuckled darkly.

"Why are you getting so worked up Usopp? It's times like this where you should do what you do best and lie. Tell me about how your father is really a travelling salesman or about how you aren't really related by blood!"

It was here where Usopp snapped. He lunged forth and punched the butler right across the face, crying out as he did so. The butler meanwhile stumbled backwards onto his rear while his glasses went flying off of his face. Usopp then stood up glaring down at him hard and panting heavily.

"Captain!" the veggie trio shouted in unison with mixed feelings of concern and awe. Meanwhile the butler was picking himself up off the ground after retrieving his glasses.

"Case in point," he said. "He resorts to violence. I guess the apple never falls far from the tree does it?" He sneered.

"Shut-up!" Usopp shouted back, shutting up the man. "My father listened to his heart and chose a life of risk and adventure. I am proud to say that my old man is a brave warrior of the sea. You're right; I have been known to exaggerate from time to time but I will never lie about who my father is! I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage! I am the son of a pirate!" There was silence as he finished and took time to catch his breath.

"Captain," I heard Carrot whisper in awe. Meanwhile, the butler chuckled again.

"Pirates are brave warriors of the sea are they?" he sneered. He finally stood all the way up.

"That's quite a twisted way of putting things. You don't seem to understand that you are living proof of his savage blood. You run around spouting lies and use violence when you don't get your way. To top it off, you cozy up to the lady of the house to steal her fortune," he accused. I heard Luffy gasp beside me then turn to me.

"He's practically giving away his evil plot," he whispered to me. I nodded.

"Now it's only a matter of time and finding the right evidence to convict won't be easy," I replied.

"What are you two going on about?" Nami hissed at us. "Get serious already!"

"Oh we're serious Nami," I told her. Luffy nodded his head.

"Some might even say…" We both looked off into the distance somewhere at the same time.

"Dead serious!" we said in unison. Nami face palmed and shook her head. Meanwhile, Usopp was denying what the butler was trying to accuse him of but the butler wouldn't let him.

"Your father is a filthy no good pirate! Treachery is in your blood; of course you would hatch such a crazy scheme!" Usopp grabbed him by the collar, cocking back another fist for another blow.

"You won't let up will you!?" Usopp growled.

"Stop it Usopp, please!" Kaya suddenly shouted from the window. Usopp faltered clearly at war with himself.

"No more violence; I can't take it," Kaya pleaded. "Klahadore isn't a bad person he's just…he's just trying to do what he thinks is best for me and sometimes he goes too far!" I noticed Luffy shaking his head sadly beside me.

"Poor little lady," he said. "She's fallen for his trap!" I nodded too.

"We'll have to come back at midnight to get her to safety," I agreed.

"I swear if you two don't shut-up right this second…" Nami growled beside us.

"Leave this place!" the butler demanded. We turned back to see that Usopp had listened to Kaya.

"You are never to come here again!" he snapped.

"That's what he thinks," Luffy muttered. I nodded in agreeance. Nami slapped us upside the heads.

"Yeah, I get it," he growled. "Ya don't have to tell me twice buddy. This is the last you'll ever see of me!" Usopp then ran off towards the front gates. Just then the veggie trio raced forth.

"Hey you butler jerk!" Shouted Carrot. "Our captain's not that kind of guy!"

"Stupid jerk face!" yelled Pepper.

"Jerk face!" repeated Onion.

"Jerk face!" shouted Luffy

"Pussy cat!" I shouted too. Luffy paused then turned to me.

"Pussy cat?" he asked. I grinned.

"Yeah, he's too afraid to face a real pirate and get wet so he's a Pussy cat!" I grinned proudly. Yes there was hidden adult meaning behind it but Luffy wouldn't understand that reasoning. He grinned nodding then turned back and shouted out the new insult.

"Pussy cat!" Zoro smacked the back of his head in annoyance. The butler meanwhile turned his evil butler eye on the veggie trio. They quickly lost their backbone and ran to hide behind Nami. Then he turned an angry glare on us while Luffy also struggled to break free of Zoro's hold on him to throw a punch. He really wanted to hurt him but I didn't want him to give him the satisfaction of being right and it'd probably be a hard sight for Kaya.

"You will all leave immediately!" demanded the butler. With that, we made our way towards the front gates with the butler following to make sure we left. The kids continued to hide behind Nami who kept growing increasingly annoyed while Zoro had to drag out Luffy. I was the last one to approach the gates however, before I left I turned back with the cheeriest smile I could manage.

"Well it's been fun Mr. Klog-dor but it looks like this is where we part ways," I said.

"Indeed" he said haughtily. I continued smiling so big it almost broke my cheeks.

"But don't worry I have a feeling we'll see each other around. After all, liars have to stick together after all…don't they?" I giggled a little girlish giggle then as I skipped through the gates.

"Ta for now!" I said waving behind me. I could glimpse his face reddening with barely controlled rage behind me as I went. I knew it. He is up to something.

* * *

"Hi!" Luffy said as he swung down into Usopp's face. Usopp cringed after being startled.

"What're you doing here?" he asked. Usopp shook.

"I came here to be alone but I guess that's not happening!" he snapped annoyed.

"Aw cheer up Usopp," I said as I came up the hill from behind. "You're dad's more of a man than that pussy will ever be and that's a fact!" He turned to face me then turned back to Luffy who was still grinning at him.

"Did you two follow me? What do you want?" he demanded.

"Oh ya know…nothing," Luffy said as he walked a bit on his hands then toppled over onto the ground. I laughed at his attempt at walking on his hands.

"Still nowhere even close to beating that record," I told him. He chuckled and rubbed his sore head. We remained quiet and allowed Usopp to get more comfortable with us around.

"I can't believe that butler," he grumbled as Luffy clapped his feet together. "Insulting my old man like that!"

"Yeah, I hate that guy too," Luffy agreed.

"Who wouldn't?" I asked. "He's the classic evil butler guy. That whole accusation about you trying to get her fortune is probably his whole plan and that's what we call foreshadowing," I proclaimed. Usopp raised an eyebrow.

"Where'd you get that idea from?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well it's how it always goes in murder mysteries. It's always the butler who's behind everything. Also I didn't like the aura that guy was letting off. He makes my fur stand on end." Usopp blinked.

"Um…you don't have any fur," he pointed out. Luffy laughed.

"Not now she doesn't," he said.

"Huh?" he wondered. I waved it away.

"Later, I said. Meanwhile, your dad was a great guy. I know even without knowing him that he's twice the man that butler guy will ever be." Usopp nodded.

"Yeah, no matter what anybody says, Yasopp was a great pirate!" Luffy agreed. Usopp smiled and moved up more to join us near the cliff's edge.

"Yeah really!" he said. "I've always looked up to my old man for living every day with his life on the line; out on the open ocean. He made a brave choice and I admire him for that!" He stood up to gaze out over the open water.

"And then that stupid snotty butler stomped all over my pride! He's gonna pay for this!" Luffy blinked then turned to face him.

"Hey wait, do you know if you're ever gonna see that girl again?" he asked. Usopp paused to think about it. Then he looked down.

"I don't know," he said. "I'll consider it if that butler apologizes to me for the things he said!" I snorted.

"As if he'd ever," I said. "The thing about evil butlers is that they mean everything they say and they have a plan to follow. They're the smartest and most diabolical of the house workers because not only are they close to everyone including the rich family but they also have access to most of the house. Why if I had to make a bet, that butler will be plotting his diabolical scheme's next phase as we speak!"

"Ya mean like what he's doing right now?" asked Luffy pointing down. Mine and Usopp's eyes nearly bugged out of our skulls.

"What in the world is he doing down here!?" Usopp demanded as he helped me push Luffy to the ground to hide. While Luffy tried to rearrange himself so he wasn't smooshed right against the dirt, I was feeling flabbergasted.

"I can't believe it," I said. "I was right!" Usopp turned to me annoyed.

"You mean you were playing this whole time?" he hissed. I pouted at him annoyed.

"Of course not," I said. "I knew he was evil I just didn't expect that he'd follow the rules of the villainous butler almost exactly down to the book. I feel honored to witness such a work of art coming to life!" I could hardly believe our luck as it was almost like one of my grandparent's stories come true. The only difference was the characters.

We stopped messing around and began to listen. With my enhanced hearing, I was able to hear everything crystal clear.

"Hey, Jango," he said. "I specifically ordered you to keep yourself inconspicuous. That doesn't mean sleeping in the road!" There was another man with him dressed up all funny like. He looked like some kind of performer or something.

"Relax man," he replied. "I've perfected the skills of the chameleon. I blend in." I snickered.

"He blends in he says," I sniggered.

"That guy with him is so weird," Luffy said.

"I've never seen him before. Who is he?" Usopp asked.

"Well obviously one of his partners in crime," I hissed. "Jeez don't you read murder mysteries?" Usopp gave me a pointed glare.

"No, I don't!" he snapped. "But this is real life so get real!"

"Those stories were based off of real life scenarios," I retorted. He wanted to say his comeback but I shushed him.

"Now quiet so we can hear what's goin' on!" Usopp huffed and paid attention, grumbling to himself some.

"So…have all the necessary preperations been made?" Pussycat asked. He adjusted his glasses.

"But of course," the second man said. "We can start any time. On the rich girl murder plan!" I stared down from my hiding place with a deadpanned expression.

"There's being discreet and then there's spelling it out," I said.

"No kidding," Usopp gulped beside me as he started sweating.

"Don't call it murder Jango. I don't like the sound of it!" Pussycat hissed at him.

"Oh right; 'accident'. It's an accident…that you planned."

"I don't get it," whispered Luffy.

"They're going to make the murder look like an accident so he doesn't get blamed for it," I told him.

"Oh," he said nodding. I rolled my eyes. I usually have to explain these parts of Grandma's and Grandpa's stories to him more than once.

"Shush you guys, they're still talking!" Usopp hissed.

"We can't simply kill her," Pussycat continued. "It is critical to our plan that Ms. Kaya perishes in an unfortunate accident. So don't screw that up!" the one he'd called Jango sat down on a nearby rock.

"So basically on your signal the men and I storm the village and manage to 'accidentally' kill the little rich girl!" he summarized. "Then you get her inheritance and we all get paid right?" Pussycat turned to face him angrily.

"You moron! Your ignorance is astounding! We're not related so how could I inherit anything from her!" he snapped.

"You'll work very hard too!" the moron suggested.

"No Jango, I won't! Now listen to me; this is the most important part. Before you kill her you'll use your hypnosis to make Kaya write her will and it will say 'I leave my entire fortune to my butler, Klahadore."

Usopp tensed beside us, now sweating bullets.

"Then and only then will I have undisputed control of her enormous fortune and no one will suspect a thing. I have spent three long years gaining the trust of everyone around me so it would be unsurprising for her to leave the entirety of her inheritance to me!" The moron sighed and stood from his seat.

"Three years as a butler for this huh?" he pressed. "You sure had us scared back then…Captain Kuro! Three years ago you suddenly said you were giving up life as a pirate. In no time at all, you set up someone to be your double. Then you let the world see Captain Kuro be executed." He paused and turned to face Pussycat with a sly grin on his face.

"Only now do I understand, that was just the beginning of this plan. You are the man of a thousand plans!"

"Never call me that again," Pussycat ordered. "I abandoned that name years ago. I now want to obtain my wealth without attracting the attention of the government. In other words I'm a pacifist." The moron laughed hard.

"Some pacifist you are. Murdering an entire family doesn't exactly qualify as peaceful!"

"Hold on, I haven't murdered an entire family. The father's death wasn't planned!" he corrected.

"Whatever you say, it makes no difference to me. If it's all the same to you, hurry up and give the word. The crew is getting bored. We've been waiting in the waters near here for over a week and the men are growing more anxious by the minute!"

As the conversation wrapped up, I could hear Usopp's heartrate beating faster with the increase of fear. He was holding on tightly to the grass and trying to steady his breathing.

"And so he reveals his entire plan, dun, dun duh!" Luffy whispered. Then he turned to me.

"This is bad; this is seriously bad!" Usopp hissed. "They're…they're gonna attack the village and then they'll kill Kaya! It won't be a lie tomorrow because pirates really are coming!" He said trembling.

"Yeah and because you lie about it all the time, no one will believe you even you tried to warn them," I said cheerfully.

"You're not helping!" he hissed at me. I grinned.

"Sorry, just thought I'd point it out now before you went and tried to say anything by yourself!" I told him. He glared and gave me a scathing look. I just continued grinning. It's what I do when adventure's around the corner.

"Hm, maybe we should scare em by sayin' we know their plan," Luffy stated. My eye twitched and I jumped over to grab him in a chokehold.

"You idiot, then we won't have the element of surprise!" I hissed at him. He grabbed my arms and tried to throw me off but I wouldn't relent and we generally started wrestling in the dirt. Usopp looked over at us in horror.

"Hey guys, quit it before he sees us," he begged. I grinned at him.

"Don't worry, even if we get caught I know how to get us out of it," I told him. "Just hide further back by that tree and you won't have to worry about it!" I then blocked Luffy's elbow from hitting me and strengthened my hold. I guess we were pretty loud as we really got into it because then the moron and pussycat were looking directly at us. Usopp thankfully had taken my advice.

"Gah, Al let up, I can't breathe!" he gasped.

"Make me rubber brain!" I retorted.

"Al I'm serious!"

"Well so am I! Now stop being such a baby and fight back or are you not a man?" I teased. Luffy's eyes flew open as his mind finally switched over to fighter mode.

"Oh that's it!" he claimed. He then had me on my back and I was kicking and scraping to get up. Usopp and the two losers below just watched us go at it. Sometimes Luffy was pinning me down and other times I had him in a chokehold. Finally though, Pussycat seemed to believe it was time to intervene.

"Just what are you two doing up there!?" he commanded. It was a time where I was pushing against Luffy's face with my foot, he was pulling my hair and I was biting his arm. We looked down at him innocently I spat Luffy's arm out because it tasted terrible.

"Wrestling; what's it look like?" I asked. He looked rather annoyed.

"How long have you been up there?" he asked.

"A while," Luffy said against my foot smooshing his face. He paused then looked up threateningly.

"I see; did you…hear anything?" he asked. I just narrowed my eyes as I looked down the two.

"Look we left the girl's property and this is free air or are ya gonna tell us to get out of here too?" I accused. I then threw my nose up indignantly into the air.

"As far as I'm concerned, we don't care what you and your little 'boyfriend' were doing, we're just rough housing and I'm trying to win so please don't interrupt!" Luffy's eyes expanded greatly as he looked at me.

"Wait, the other dude's his boyfriend!?" he asked exasperatedly. I noticed how red faced they got and how peeved Pussycat looked.

"Well actually…" the moron tried to explain.

"Silence!" hissed the fake butler. He straightened his clothes.

"If you must know, he's an old friend, nothing more. I didn't want him entering the grounds because his odd mannerisms might upset Ms. Kaya. Also, I have no qualms with you being here as it is a free beach. But I must be heading back now. Good day Mr. Jango!" He semi-bowed to the oddly dressed man then briskly walked off back towards the pathway back up from the beach.

Meanwhile the oddball looked rather uncomfortable just standing around. Luffy meanwhile was intrigued, his mind completely having forgotten the earlier conversation.

"So…are you some kind of circus guy or what?" he asked. The moron bristled.

"How dare you!" he accused. "I am an artist; a run of the mill hypnotist!" he stated. Immediately Luffy was letting go of me and sitting up excitedly.

"Woah really!?" he exclaimed. "Show me; show me now!" I rolled my eyes and brushed myself off. I glanced back to see Usopp was still trying to calm down. I smiled reassuringly at him and gave him a thumb's up. He nodded to show he was managing okay. Then I turned back.

"Humph, as if I'd show my amazing skills to the likes of you peasant!" he proclaimed. Then he had his ring out and ready.

"Alright if you insist," he said. I deadpanned.

"That was a fast turnaround," I muttered. He began swinging the pendulum back and forth.

"Now, keep your eyes on the ring. On the count of one, two, Jango, you'll fall into a deep sleep!" Luffy leaned forward expectantly. I watched too.

"Ooh," Luffy said.

"One…two…Jango!" he shouted. Luffy then slumped forward from where he stood and fell forward off the cliff. He landed head first then slumped down onto the ground. I laughed and threw my hands into the air proudly.

"Woohoo, my mind's stronger!" I shouted. Usopp had rushed forth by this point to gaze over in horror at Luffy who sat upside down at the bottom of the cliff. I turned to keep up the charade.

"Oh hi Usopp, when'd you get here?" I asked cheerily.

"Who cares about that; your brother just fell off a cliff and died. Nobody could've survived that fall!" I blinked innocently.

"Well Luffy can cuz his body's made of rubber," I said. Usopp turned to me perplexed.

"Say what!?" he shouted.

"Yeah, he ate the Gum-Gum fruit so now he's a rubber man. A fall like that can't kill him; he's just sleeping."

"You're lying; there's just no way that's true!" he exclaimed.

"Well we could always go down there and I could stretch his cheeks out to show ya," I told him. Then I turned back towards the beach.

"Meanwhile, what happened to the hypnotist?" I asked looking. When I finally found him, I deadpanned.

"Did he…seriously put himself to sleep with his own dumb trick?" Usopp asked with a similar deadpanned expression beside me. I groaned.

"Man, Pussycat was right. He really is a moron!"


	7. SVI Foiling the Plan

**_Act I: Scene VI_**

 ** _Foiling the Plan_**

* * *

"And that's what happened," I finished explaining to everyone. The veggie trio, Zoro and Nami gave us all incredulous looks. Meanwhile, Usopp was still totally baffled as he looked at a still groggy Luffy.

"He's really made of rubber," he whispered meekly.

"Woah, so you're really serious? He's really plotting to kill the rich girl?" asked Nami. I nodded with my arms folded across my chest sagely.

"Yup and I saw it comin' a mile away," I said. "I may not have known what his full plan was before but when my instincts warn me of dangerous intentions, they're never wrong. In fact they've saved my life more than once!"

"Hn, so you weren't just quoting fairytales," Zoro commented.

"He's really made of rubber," Usopp repeated.

"Um…what's wrong with the captain?" asked Carrot with some concern in his voice.

"Oh the captain's fine; he's just freaked out," Pepper told him.

"And who wouldn't be?" Onion gulped. "I mean…Lady Kaya's…gonna be killed tomorrow."

"What're we waiting for then; we've gotta tell people!" Shouted Carrot.

"C'mon captain, snap out of it!" Onion said shaking him.

"We've gotta tell the people!" Pepper tried to convince him.

"That simply won't work," I told them. They all looked at me. I still held my sage-like look.

"Do you really think that the villagers that you and your captain have lied to for years will really believe you when you tell them that the butler's evil?" I questioned. "That was the point of earning their trust to begin with; so no matter what you do or say, it'll be heard as a lie and they'll all side with him. Face it guys, he out lied the greatest liar!"

"No way!" shouted Pepper and Onion.

"The captain's the greatest liar!" Carrot added.

"Well clearly that's not enough anymore," Zoro stated with a yawn. "It's just like that story where the boy called sheep so many times nobody believed him."

"Wolf!" Nami and I corrected in unison.

"It's the boy who called wolf," Nami continued. "The sheep were what were eaten in the end because nobody believed the boy when it was true and they didn't come help chase away the wolf."

"Whatever," he yawned. Usopp meanwhile sighed having come out of his funk.

"No, he's right," he said. "The fact is that I lied to everyone every single day about pirates coming that there's no way they'd believe me. Even if Kuro actually did catch me then he'd probably let me go because he wouldn't have to worry about me being believed at all. And there's no way that Kaya would believe that her 'beloved' Klahadore is actually the bad guy. That was the way he planned it."

"But there must be something we could do," Nami tried to reason. Usopp then stood abruptly knees shaking.

"No there is," he said. Then he gulped. "We'll just have to make sure that my lies stay like that; only lies. Tomorrow when the pirates come, I'll head em off and keep them from getting into the village. The villagers will have a nice and peaceful day because I won't let a single pirate into the village!"

"Captain," the veggie trio breathed with awe. However his legs were still shaking.

"You sure about that cuz you're still shaking," Luffy pointed out. Usopp quickly tried to cover up.

"What no; I mean…I'm just shaking with…e-excitement yeah! I can't wait to dish out some justice to those creeps!"

"Liar," the veggie trio and the rest of us stated deadpanned. Usopp faltered but then got back up and in our faces again.

"Okay so fine; I'm terrified out of my wits but why shouldn't I be; they're captain Kuro's men!" he shouted. The veggie trio began to quake too.

"So is really that bad?" questioned Carrot. I nodded.

"Of course; even as a fake butler, he plays the part of the villain well," I stated.

"Not only that," Usopp continued. "But he's the man with a thousand plans; infamous in the East Blue. He could outwit anyone and that's how he stayed away from the marines for so long. But three years ago he was rumored to have been caught by the marines; some guy named Morgan if I recall correctly and then he was publically executed!"

"That moron of a hypnotist did say he substituted a double. He probably hypnotized him and that Morgan g…" I cut myself off immediately as my eyes widened with realization. Then I grinned and turned to face Luffy and Zoro.

"Oh so that's why that Captain Marty guy was so full of himself," I said. "It was that hypnotist's fault!" Zoro scoffed.

"I guess I have him to partly thank for that predicament I was in on Shell Island," he muttered darkly. I just laughed.

"An evil butler's villainy knows no bounds!" I proclaimed.

"Okay can we please stay on topic here?" Nami asked. She turned to Usopp.

"So…you'll fight them off when they get here but that still leaves this Kuro guy and Kaya's in danger!"

"Oh boy…this is gonna be tougher than I thought," Usopp whimpered. I grinned and stood up.

"Well that's why you've got friends like us right?" I asked. I giggled some as I flexed some muscles. Usopp blinked.

"Wait…s-seriously? You'd fight with me?" he asked astounded.

"Well duh, you're a part of the crew now so of course!" Luffy said. Usopp faltered slightly.

"But wait, I didn't decide on that yet!" he protested. I laughed.

"Sorry about that but the thing about my brother is that if he decides something, he never goes back on it. He decided you were going to be our sniper so that's just the way it is!" He blinked at all of us in utter disbelief.

"Tch, hey at least you weren't blackmailed," Zoro muttered. I giggled.

"Oh c'mon, you're happy to be here," I told him. He didn't deny it so we left it at that. Usopp meanwhile sighed.

"Well…if you've got my back and all…" he started. Then he straightened suddenly and gave us each a scrutinizing stare.

"But I won't accept any pity from anybody! Like I said before, I'm a proud man so I won't accept it if people start laughing!" I laughed out loud.

"That's a good one!"

"Do you really think we'd risk our lives out of pity?" Luffy demanded.

"You're an honorable man so we'll help," Zoro stated. Usopp had tears developing in his eyes.

"You…you guys!" he then wiped his tears away and leveled his breathing. He then looked up at us with determination in his eyes now with a slight hint of fear.

"Alright then…I'll do it!" he stated strongly. "I'll consider joining your crew but only after we've defeated Kuro and his men and succeed in keeping this village safe! I'll accept your help for that then and only then will I give my absolute answer!" Luffy chuckled.

"You got it!" he said. They slapped hands and shook. I smirked.

"We're gonna get a sniper," I sing sang.

"Okay…but we've still got time to kill," Nami pointed out. "It's only the afternoon. They won't be here until tomorrow so…"

"Booby-traps!" I shouted out gleefully. They all gave me an odd look.

"No anti-murder mission is complete without setting up booby-traps for the bad guys to fall into. We'll just have to give them a big present for tomorrow."

"Are you serious!?" Nami demanded.

"Hang on," Usopp stopped her. "That…might just work!" he said snapping his fingers. We all turned to look at him.

"Look, this island is mostly just sheer cliff and rock face starting down by the shore. There's only one slope they can come up to get to the village…"

"Two," I corrected him. "The south where they had their meeting and the north where we parked our own boats earlier!" Usopp cleared his throat.

"Right…I… I knew that," he said. "Now since the two shores only have one slope leading to them, the pirates won't have any choice no matter where they land but to come up those passageways. If we can keep their numbers however many there are in that narrow passage then they won't be able to get to the village. We can set up a booby-trap to catch them off guard first then fight them off ourselves!"

"Wow you're smart Usopp," Luffy commented. Usopp beamed with pride.

"Heh, I know," he said.

"Okay but which slope are they more likely to come up?" Zoro asked.

"It'd have to be the North right?" Nami stated. "We ran into that hypnotist guy earlier and he was coming from that direction to get to the south side to meet with Kuro."

"Yeah and the south side's further away from the village while the North side is closer and actually leads directly to it," Pepper stated.

"Right, so that's where we'll have to head them off," Usopp said. I then turned to Nami.

"Hey, maybe we should hide our boats?" I suggested. "After all, I just know that you'd freak out if they stole that treasure you just got from Orange Town!" Nami tensed.

"Oh no, that's right," she exclaimed. "They'll be coming right from where we landed." She then turned to Zoro.

"Alright then while they're doing whatever and setting up the traps, you come with me and help me get the boats hidden!"

"What why me?" he demanded.

"Because you're the one with the swords and Al and Luffy look more interested in the trap setting thing anyway! Now let's move!" she demanded of him. She then began to march towards the north shore without giving Zoro room to argue more. I laughed as I waved him goodbye and he grumbled as he went. Luffy laughed as well then we turned towards Usopp.

"Alright, what'd you have in mind?" Luffy asked.

* * *

We watched as the oil dripped down the slope slowly but surely. It ran underneath the trip wires we'd set up. Now not only would they be too busy slipping and sliding on the oil but when they tried anything clever, they'd trip the wires and set off the other trap. Of course we'd have to be careful not to fall in with them.

After they were caught up, Luffy, Zoro and I would go down there ourselves to get close and personal pounding them into the dirt while Usopp, Nami and the Usopp pirates would hit them with long range attacks. This was going to be one fun fight. Once Pussycat was irritated enough by their lateness, he'd come looking for them for sure and find us sitting over top of their unconscious beaten forms. Then he'd engage in battle with Luffy as a captain vs. captain duel and we'd cheer from the sidelines and eventually walk away with a victory. At least that's what the plan is anyways.

"It's almost dawn," Zoro pointed out. "They'll be here soon!"

"Right," Nami nodded. She then glanced off to the side with a worried look.

"Oh relax Nami," I told her. "I booby-trapped near our boats too so if they do find where you hid them then they'll never make it to the treasure.

"I know, I know, I'm just anxious is all," she said still uncertain.

"Hey relax, after we're done beating up the bad guys you can go loot their ship," Luffy said. Nami's face brightened.

"Really?" she asked excitedly, her eyes becoming a resemblance to berri signs. The veggie trio looked at her in amazement.

"How does she do that?" Pepper wondered.

"Who cares, it's kinda creepy," Carrot said.

"Well, maybe it'll creep out the pirates too," suggested Onion. Nami turned to them with a murderously sweet disposition.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing!" they replied out of fright.

"Ah, look there!" Usopp suddenly exclaimed. We were all pulled from our own little thoughts as we turned to face the direction Usopp was pointing. On the horizon as the sun began coming up, a looming shadow appeared, approaching the shore.

"It looks like they're coming," Zoro said with a smirk. Luffy smirked too.

"Yeah; this is gonna be fun!" he said. I snickered.

"Yeah, just try not to get hypnotized again okay," I told him. We all took up our positions with the Usopp pirates taking one side of the cliff and Nami and Usopp the other. Meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro and I stood up at the very top of the slope looking down to the shore. Zoro was on the right of Luffy in the middle while I was on his left. Luffy crossed his arms over his torso casually as he waited, Zoro stood sideways, toying with his sword handles in anticipation and I was crouching down to stretch out my legs.

Time passed on and finally, the ship landed on the shore and the crew leapt off, charging up the hill while brandishing sabers and swords. They were all dressed with a cat like theme and I could only guess at what the name of their crew was. They slowed some just before the oil spill which was well hidden under some gravel.

"There's somebody up there," one of the men said. The moron from the meeting yesterday came up behind them looking up at us.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. I grinned and so did the other two. Meanwhile, at that point, Usopp and his pirates made their move, shooting pellets at the enemies. The pirates danced about to dodge the pellets with some falling over on their rears.

"I am the legendary Captain Usopp!" Usopp cried out, gaining their attention. Although his knees shook with fright he stood his ground.

"As you can see I have a decent amount of men and women under my command! In fact there are many more behind us lying in wait. Leave now or suffer the wrath of our great army of brave warriors who defend this land from all who would dare threaten her and her people!" Some of the pirates grinned, either knowing it was a half lie or believing that we didn't stand a chance against them. Pussycat's moron turned to regard me.

"You there, little girl; what're you doing here? Could it be…that you knew we were coming?" he questioned. I just grinned.

"What do you think?" I retorted. He brought the brim of his hat down some to shadow his eyes.

"I think…" he looked back up, the morning light reflecting off his heart shaped sunglasses. "That you made a very big mistake!" He then turned to his men.

"They're just a bunch of kids; take them out then onward to the village and the mansion. Remember, we can't keep the captain waiting!"

"Right!" roared the men. Then they began running up the slope again. That is until they hit the oil patch and started slipping and sliding back down the hill. I grinned cheekily.

"Excuse me but who's just a bunch of kids again?" Nami asked. I sniggered while Luffy grinned.

"If you guys wanna set even one foot in that village, you've gotta go through us," He said. "Now…who's up first?" he cracked his knuckles. I grinned.

"Don't get hypnotized and don't fall into one of our own traps," I reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah I know!" he sighed.

"Well, are you two just gonna stand there or are we gonna go have some fun with these guys?" Zoro asked with his own smirk. I grinned.

"Don't go too hard on em, they might break if yer not careful," I teased.

"Let's go!" Luffy bellowed. We ran forth and leapt up into the air, using the slipping and sliding men who couldn't get up as stepping stones to get to the rest. Once on the other side, we leapt into the fray.

The men I'd aimed for had their sabers all up and ready to cut me. I just grinned and allowed myself to shrink quickly.

"Hey; where'd she go?" asked one of the men perplexed. They hadn't seen me land. I looked up at them innocently and whistled to get their attention. They glanced down and I put on a show acting all cute and cuddly.

"It's a bunny rabbit," one said.

"What's it doing out here?" wondered another.

"Who cares, let's catch it and have rabbit stew for dinner," suggested a third. At that they all smiled devilishly and began to close in.

"Sorry fellas," I apologized mockingly. Then I spun on the ground and launched a kick as I transformed into hybrid form, straight at the center point of converging. The men I'd caught went flying into the other and I proceeded to split kick two more pairs before I simply conked one on the back of the head with my elbow as I came down to land.

"But this bunny is too tough!" I finished my sentence. Meanwhile some other men who were looking my way shook some with fright.

"What…the hell just happened?" one asked.

"I dunno, but wasn't that girl a rabbit before?" asked another.

"That's just too freaky," stated a third. I turned to them with a grin.

"If you think that's freaky then wait till you meet my brother," I told them. They looked at me confused but not for long as Luffy sent a Gum-Gum pistol in their direction and immediately took them out of commission.

"His arm just stretched!" I heard someone exclaim with fright.

"This one's a monster!" cried another.

"He's the legendary Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro," his friend exclaimed. I watched some of the chaos my brother and Zoro were causing and I also watched to see that Usopp and his crew were doing their part as well. Nami meanwhile was doing her ample best to sneak down while avoiding the melee and get to their ship for their treasure.

Just then a guy yelled out behind me. He tried to cut me from behind but I simply dodged and kneed him in the face sending him into unconsciousness. A few more guys had come about and had seemingly cornered me against the rock of the cliff. I just stared at them bored and unamused.

"Just because you're some freak of nature don't think we won't hurt you little girly," sneered one. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"If ya can then go ahead but don't underestimate me," I warned. "It might be your last mistake."

"Why you…"

"Get er!" They launched all together and piled on top of me, crushing me to the ground. Or they would've if I hadn't gone bunny again and tunneled my way to freedom. When I came up on the other side I watched from my newly made hole as they struggled.

"Wait; wait, she's not here!" one shouted getting the others to stop and pull back. As they did I saw that their struggling had filled my first hole again so they wouldn't see it.

"Where'd the little runt go?" demanded one of them. The sounds of another battle going on elsewhere echoed about the shore and as they searched for me I developed a great idea. I chuckled to myself as I tunneled back under the sand. This was gonna be fun.

I used my senses to indicate where they were standing. I tunneled to right in the middle of them and poked my head out. They were all facing away from me. I grinned.

"Hey guys; I'm over here!" I called out. They all whirled around. There were about seven of em at best and so that made for seven idiots who all jumped at the hole at once. I disappeared and tunneled away safely behind them. I popped out again.

"Hah, is that the best you've got?" I demanded. They turned around again, enraged.

"Shut-up and die already!" One jumped this time but was too slow. I popped out somewhere else.

"Too slow!" I teased. And with that the game of whack-a-bunny began. They sucked at it. I would tunnel under the sand and pop up somewhere new or old and they just couldn't land a hit or even coordinate themselves enough to figure out where I might pop up next. They were getting turned around and dizzy.

"Marco!" I called from one side. They attacked.

"Polo!" I shouted at the other end. I was too fast for them.

"Marco…Polo…Marco…Polo…Marco…Polo…Marco; polo; Marco; polo; Marco; polo; Marco; polo; Marco; Poloooo!"

By the time I was done they couldn't move anymore as they were tired out and out of breath. These guys didn't just suck; they were pansies. I shook my head sadly as I finally crawled out of the ground and transformed into my hybrid form. I walked over to the tuckered out men who were wheezing for air and simply blew through my lips which effectively knocked them over. I shook my head again as I walked away.

"Pathetic," I muttered. As I re-approached my brother and Zoro, they were just finishing up with their last guys. I took my spot standing innocently beside them and waited to see if the Moron would do anything as all he'd done was watch as the men he was commanding dropped like flies.

"You weaklings!" he cursed. "What the hell is wrong with you; can't you even do one thing right?" he demanded.

"We're sorry sir," one man apologized.

"But these three are monsters," they all groaned together – or at least the conscious ones did.

"And it didn't help we couldn't stop those annoying brats on the top of cliff from throwing stuff at us!" complained someone else.

"You halfwits!" the Moron roared. "Do you honestly believe these three are anything worse than what the captain is? He'll surely kill us all for being late and he doesn't take too kindly to people messing up his well laid plans! Or have you all forgotten the penalty for such a treason!?" The crew suddenly became more fearful and the ones who were still conscious managed to drag themselves over to where the Moron was as he pulled out his chakram on a string. He then started to let it swing back and forth.

"Here stare deeply into this ring," he told them. "Now, I will count one, two, Jango and after that you will all begin to grow stronger. Your wounds will heal and you will grow stronger still. Stronger; stronger!" he said. Zoro tsk'd and shook his head.

"Does he really think that'll work?" he muttered. I shrugged.

"Eh, maybe he's just that desperate," I suggested. "At any rate, try not to get caught up in it or you might be turned against us!"

"Tch, like I'm that weak minded," he retorted.

"Stronger," Luffy muttered beside me. I froze and turned to see that he'd let himself fall into a trance. I deadpanned.

"Great," I stated sarcastically.

"Geez, what an idiot," Zoro muttered beside me. He raised one of his swords and was about to hit him with the handle but I stopped him.

"Wait, maybe we could use this," I said.

"Like how?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow. I grinned rubbing my hands together.

"Like this," I said. Then I turned to Luffy and proceeded to copy the Moron's hypnotic rhythm.

"As you watch the ring move back and forth and as you become stronger and stronger, you also become angrier and angrier because these pirates are threatening to steal all of the meat on the island. As you realize this, you're going to want to kick their asses for daring to touch your precious meat in the first place. So you'll break the figurehead off their ship and use it against them!" I finished feeling rather proud of myself. Zoro continued to stare at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you really think it'll work?" he asked. I snickered.

"It's Luffy," I reminded him. He took that into consideration then shrugged and continued to watch as the Moron finished his routine.

"One…Two…Jango!" the Moron shouted. Then with that out of the way, the crew of pirates began to cheer as they stood up completely ignoring their earlier injuries. I watched with mild impression as one of the pirates proceeded to slam his fist into the side of the cliff causing it to break and fall to the ground. As I watched the pirates began to get all worked up and confident again.

"Now go and strike down all who stand in your way!" he ordered them. They cheered and started coming for us. We stood halfway up the slope just in front of the oil spill. Zoro turned to me.

"Now what," he demanded. I shrugged with my arms crossed. Then I turned to Luffy.

"You heard him," I said. "Now go!" With that, Luffy started growling like an animal as he let his anger boil. Then after a few seconds he threw his hands into the air and yelled out like the pirates had before then began running at full speed down to greet them. Zoro and I watched from our places as he easily gatlinged them into the ground. Nami was partway down the path as she'd finally gotten past the oil spill and booby-traps. She stood beside me looking after Luffy with a deadpanned expression.

"You've gotta be kidding me," she groaned. "Don't tell me that idiot let himself get hypnotized too!" Usopp stood over use with his crew on the cliff looking on in astonishment. He adjusted his goggles.

"Well I don't think we have to say anything because that's exactly what it looks like," he stated.

"Wow, look at im go," Pepper commented.

"He's like a raging bull or something," Carrot stated uneasily. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Well I did tell him they were threatening all the meat on the island which not only makes it motivational but personal," I told them. "Plus, he's still on our side so don't worry."

"Still, do you seriously believe he can rip the figure head off so easily?" Zoro questioned. I nodded.

"Yup!" I said simply.

"I'm kind of confused," Usopp said. "Why would Jango hypnotize him to go against them?"

"Allen added her own spin of things while he was still in a trance," Zoro stated.

"Oh," he replied. From there we watched as Luffy ran at the downed pirates, scaring them and then proceeded to run right past them to the head of the ship where the figurehead was attached. He didn't even need to leap up to the actual figurehead, he just grabbed the bottom of the front of their head and pulled.

"What is he doing," whimpered one of the pirates. Just then there was a sickening cracking noise as the head holding the figurehead up proudly began to be ripped away from the ship. Zoro whistled.

"Well damn," he said. I giggled giddily.

"Yup, he really is super strong," I stated. Nami watched with wide eyes.

"Unbelievable," she breathed out with some slight horror. I chuckled.

"You're tellin me," Usopp said.

"Holy crap," exclaimed Onion.

"He's…he's really doing it," said Pepper.

"He's really ripping that ship apart!" gulped Carrot. I laughed.

"Makes ya glad he's on our side right?" I continued laughing as Zoro snorted and laughed too. Nami just shook her head in dismay.

"How the hell did I end up sailing with people like you?" she questioned.

"Ah, he's going to destroy our ship!" exclaimed one of the pirates. With one final yell and pull, Luffy finally wrenched the front of the ship away and turned around to face the crew of enemy pirates with a murderous look. The crew all flinched underneath it's gaze.

"Ah, oh no!" cried one of the pirates.

"He's going to crush us with it!" exclaimed another one.

"Everybody run!" They all turned and ran for their lives up the only path they could which was right up the slop towards us.

"Oh no ya don't," Usopp declared, loading up his slingshot.

"Take this!" he hollered, firing some pellets at the pirates causing some to fall down and scramble to try and get away from the other monster approaching from behind. I clapped and laughed.

"Good one Usopp," I cheered. "And great job Luffy, you're doin' great!" My hypnotized brother continued coming towards us.

"Captain, do something!" cried one of his men. The Moron finally looked around and realized he'd better do something. He then pulled out his hypnosis ring. Zoro tensed.

"Crap! What's he gonna do now?" he demanded. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Who knows?" I said. Zoro turned on me with annoyance.

"Idiot, what if he turns Luffy on us?" he demanded. I smirked.

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen," I said. Meanwhile, the Moron was working his magic.

"One, two Jango you will fall asleep!" the man shouted. Then as he started counting…

"Then you'll wake up all refreshed, admitting you're brain dead and your sister's the smartest ever!" I shouted out quickly.

"…Jango!" The Moron said. Just then, Luffy lost all of his strength as he fell asleep and the weight of the head of the ship tilted him over, pinning him underneath and catching the fleeing pirates and their captain along the way.

As they all sat there groaning in pain, the Moron sat up holding his head. Then some movement caught his eyes and he turned. We watched as Luffy started waking up again and pulled himself out from underneath the head of the ship then stretched to the sky yawning like when we'd woken him after he'd fallen off the cliff yesterday.

"Ah, wow I feel great!" he said. He replaced his hat on his head then seemed to recall something. Then he spoke with a wide grin on his face.

"Oh yeah, and I'm braindead and Allen's the smartest person ever!" he said. The others looked at me with deadpanned expressions while I just stood there beaming with pride.

"What, you guys didn't expect me to take advantage? We're still siblings ya know!" I said. I then burst out into laughter. Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Whatever!" he said. Then he turned to face Luffy again.

"Hey, would you get up here already?" he said. Luffy blinked then grinned.

"Sure! Are we done already?" he asked as he then stood up and began to walk towards us.

"Hm, it looks that way," Usopp commented. All of the men were on the ground, groaning and in pain.

"Hey guys, what happened to them? I thought they were already beaten but it looks like they got worse," Luffy commented. I sniggered.

"Yeah well, they had a run in with a black cat and it looks like their luck ran out," I said.

"Huh?" he said.

"Oh I get it," Pepper stated.

"It's cuz it's their ship had a black cat at its head," Carrot stated.

"Clever," added Onion. I grinned.

"Well you heard him," I said. "I am the smartest ever!" I then laughed some more. That part had been all too easy.

"Damn it!" we heard the Moron curse and turned to look at him. "Now our whole plan's shot to hell! What am I gonna do with this mess?" he grumbled. Nami smirked.

"Well you could always just give up," she said. I snickered. The Moron turned a withering glare our direction but it didn't look too threatening with those glasses in the way.

"You just shut-up!" he shouted at her. "You have no idea what you've done! Captain Kuro hates to be kept waiting and since you ruined his plan he'll not only come after you but he'll kill all of us as well. He's not the forgiving type!"

"Then my guess is, Pussycat's not much a captain," I said.

"No?" the Moron seethed. "Well you'll just have to wait and see now won't you?" He continued to glower at us. Then I sensed movement on their ship and tensed some. Nami turned to me.

"What's the matter?" she asked. I narrowed my eyes.

"There's still two more," I told her.

"Huh?" she asked. Just then they started talking.

"Buchi come check this out! There's some bad stuff going down!" said one.

"What the hell?" exclaimed the other. Just then the Moron grinned as he turned to face his ship again.

"I forgot; we still have our trump card!" he said. "Come forth Meowban brothers!" He shouted. Just then, two figures leapt forth landing with grace on the edge of the ship. I had to say, these two looked more cat like than the rest of the crew but they were still pretty funny looking.

"Yes captain; did you call for us?" asked the skinny one.

"Well did you?" asked the bigger one. His head looked more like a cow than an actual cat. He even wore a bell around his neck. Then they went about introducing themselves in a dramatic fashion.

"Siam!" the skinny one called out, posing like a cat.

"And Buchi," the bigger one said also posing like a cat.

"Together we are the Meowban brothers at your service!" They proclaimed simultaneously. The rest of us didn't quite know how to react.

"Oh cool!" Luffy cried excitedly then he pointed at them "They've got cat people! That's so cool!"

"You idiot!" Nami chastised. "They're just wearing costumes!" He turned to her all pouty.

"Aw, really?" he asked.

"Actually they look like cat people to me," I stated. He turned to me starry eyed.

"Really!?" he exclaimed more excitedly. Nami scowled at me and I just grinned.

"They look kinda freaky," Carrot commented.

"Yeah but he called them their trump card," Onion reminded him. I just rolled my eyes.

"Oh I'm sure we ca handle em," I said. Meanwhile the two cat-like brothers leapt down in front of their captain to receive orders.

"Buchi; Siam; we absolutely must get up this hill but as you can plainly see our path is blocked. If you would be so kind as to remove this obstacle…immediately!" he commanded. The brothers then looked up at all of us standing in the way of the hill. Then they cringed back hissing like real cats.

"I knew it," Luffy said nodding his head. Nami face palmed and I just grinned and snickered.

"Aieeee!" the brothers shouted with fear. I could tell it was fake.

"We couldn't do that," exclaimed Siam. "They look too strong! Right Buchi?" he turned to his brother fearfully.

"Oh yeah," His brother agreed. "They're strong; way stronger than us!"

"Huh?" Zoro questioned. I just shook my head.

"Besides we just guard the ship; not fight people!" Siam continued.

"He's got a point. We're not the guys you really wanna send into battle," Buchi said. Meanwhile Moron stood there looking up at us unamused.

"Siam; just do it already!" he spoke.

"Ah…what, why be so mean?" he complained.

"And hurry!" the Moron emphasized turning on the brothers even more annoyed.

"Okay, I'll go, just stop yelling," Siam whimpered. Nami furrowed her brows.

"The guy's crying like a baby! What're they doing down there!?" she demanded. I just crossed my arms and harrumphed.

"Well whatever it is; I'd call it bad acting!" I stated. Luffy turned to me curiously.

"What do you mean?" he asked. I pointed to the now approaching and whining Siam.

"Just wait for it," I told him. "Any minute now he'll stop pretending to be pathetic and attack. He just wants us to drop our guards so he can get closer."

"Hm, well if that's the case," Zoro stated, holding up his sword, ready for a battle.

"Ah, I'm gonna tear you up with these claws; you just wait and see! I'm a vicious killing machine and I'm coming for you; you bad people!" Zoro stepped forth.

"You come any closer and I'll cut you in half," he spoke evenly and coolly. He held his sword at the ready, waiting for the moment he'd strike.

"And I'll punch you," Luffy added stepping forth as well. Siam kept coming.

"I'd listen to em," I warned. "They're serious!" Finally he got really close. Then in a flash he became his true self and attacked with a manic grin on his face.

"Not likely," he hissed, leaping at Zoro who fended him off with his sword.

"Too bad," he continued. "It seems you fell for my little ruse. I'm impressed that you blocked me considering what a brilliant performance I gave," he said. Then he leapt backwards across from him. Zoro looked at him unimpressed. However, his look turned to outright shock and rage as he noticed two things on his attacker's back that weren't there before and that were certainly not his.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

"Don't let the teeny bit of skill you have allow you to underestimate Siam of the Meowban brothers!" he said then licked the back of his hand like a cat would. Zoro cursed under his breath and gritted his teeth.

"Damned thief," he glowered.

"Actually it's called being a cat burglar," I said.

"Now's not the time Al!" he growled.

"Hey you cat!" Luffy shouted. "Give Zoro his swords back!" Siam turned uninterested towards Luffy.

"And why on earth would I do that?" he questioned tauntingly.

"Grr, cuz I'll kick your ass if you don't!" He shouted back. Siam laughed curtly.

"Is that the best you can come up with?" he demanded. Then he turned back to Zoro.

"Besides, he already has a sword; I mean how greedy can you be hm?" he then took the swords off of his back and held them up for Zoro to see.

"Say goodbye swords," he said. "Goodbye!" he then threw them both behind him and they clattered to the ground. That was the last straw for Zoro. Nobody messed with his swords. We watched as he raced forth with his teeth bared.

"You bastard!" he growled. "You should be careful with other people's things!" he shouted as he sliced through the Meowban brother. Siam let out a cry of pain but I could tell that was fake too; although I couldn't quite see why. Then Zoro raced down trying to get his swords but Siam got up again and leapt.

"Behind you!" the veggie trio shouted. Zoro glanced back but not in time. Siam had grabbed his arms and held them out straight against his struggling while he landed on his back sending Zoro face first into the dirt.

"You really should be faster because I'm agile as a cat," he told him. Then he looked up.

"Buchi; you're up!" he called to his brother. "Get in here!" he shouted. Buchi, the bigger of the brothers started running up from where he'd stood by the Moron.

"Chidensia!" he cried out as he leapt up quickly into the air with his foot out and ready to slam into Zoro's head as he came down. However, before he could reach his intended target, Luffy's arm stretched out and collided with the big guy sending him flying back onto the shore with the rest of his crewmates. Luffy's arm stretched back and twanged and he stood up glaring down at the one on top of Zoro.

"Two against one isn't a fair fight," he glowered. Siam cursed then felt as Zoro suddenly shifted under him and rolled him off while he rolled to the other side. He came up on one knee panting. He grinned.

"Ya know; I coulda handled that myself," he stated.

"Yeah right; and let you have all the fun," he accused back. The two smirked and straightened up. Just then, Buchi had gotten back up again and though he was groaning from that last punch, he managed to make it back to his brother.

"Damn, and so close," Siam cursed.

"That other guy stretched his arm brother," Buchi pointed out. "What kind of monster is he?"

"Humph, I'm a rubber man!" Luffy replied answering the question.

"A rubber man?" the Moron questioned. I grinned.

"That's right," I said. "My brother ate the Gum-Gum devil fruit and now he's a rubber man. Meanwhile, I ate the Bunny-Bunny fruit and I'm a Bunny girl. Also, we've got a kickass swordsman, an awesome navigator and soon we're gonna have the best sniper too!" I paused allowing that to sink in. I threw my nose in the air proudly.

"We're not just your run of the mill villagers or even deck swabbers. We're pirates!" Meanwhile, Luffy cracked his knuckles getting ready for another fight.

"Yeah!" he said. The Moron tilted his hat down again, shadowing his eyes.

"I see…then why is it…you're defending this place?" he questioned.

"Humph; because you're attacking our friend's home," Luffy stated. "What other reason do we need?" I grinned.

"Yup and you're planning to help kill our friend's friend and that makes her our friend too. There's no way we'd let you idiots and your Pussy of a captain get away with it!" I said defiantly. He gritted his teeth.

"Buchi, Siam; let's finish this quickly! We're dead if we don't get a move on! You two deal with those two!" He turned towards me. "I'll handle this other one and the other brats!" I glared at him and watched as he suddenly moved quickly. However, he wasn't aiming for me.

My eyes widened as I watched him slice through Nami's shoulder with his chakram causing her to stumble and fall. I hadn't even noticed she'd left. She'd been trying to sneak down and get Zoro's swords back but it was to no avail. He'd noticed her and acted.

"Nami!" Usopp called.

"Nami!" Luffy cried as well and so too did the veggie trio. Then he turned with a menacing glare looking down at her as she held her shoulder.

"You brats have delayed us long enough!" he snapped. "Now die!" He then brought his ring up, planning to slice her to pieces. However, I wouldn't let him. I took a running start and barreled into him shoulder first sending him tumbling to the ground. He coughed up some phlegm and staggered as he attempted to reclaim his breathing and wheezed out.

"Don't you dare hurt my friends!" I growled at him menacingly.

"Damn you brat!" he grumbled. He struggled to his feet again.

"I'll turn you into rabbit stew when I'm finished!"

"Allow me to respond with what I told the last guy who said that. I'd love to see you try!" I strengthened my stance.

"Nami!" I called. "Get up and walk that off! Usopp, you should help her and the rest of you just stay back for now. Luffy and Zoro can handle those buffoons and I'll handle this guy!"

"You sure?" she asked as she began to push herself to her feet. At this point Usopp was turning back around to get to the entryway to the slope.

"Yeah," I said. "After all…he's just a hypnotist and I'm not weak minded!" She smirked.

"Alright she said," shakily. She used the wall to help herself up. Just then, we heard a startled cry and everyone turned to see that Usopp had stuttered to a halt just a few feet away from a newcomer standing at the top of the cliff behind us. He wore formal black attire and carried himself with an air of professionality. However, it didn't completely cover up the storm that was brewing within. Meanwhile the Moron also let out a yelp of surprise and started shaking as he beheld his captain.

"No…I'm sorry," he tried to apologize. "I…can explain all of this!" He trembled more. Meanwhile his captain adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand.

"The night has long since passed. So why is it you seem to have made no progress on the plan!?" he growled. The other men at the bottom of the hill still recovering from Luffy's earlier attack trembled with fear.

"Captain Kuro…no!" stuttered one.

"He'll kill us all!" whimpered another. They continued trembling. I watched Usopp tremble too and the rest of Usopp pirates hid behind their captain trembling as well. Honestly, he didn't look that scary. He adjusted his glasses again then pointedly glared at his underlings.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" he demanded. A morning breeze blew across the shore after that making the sense of foreboding feel even more so. I blinked as I glanced back at him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Luffy asked breaking the silence. Pussycat looked down at him unamused. Then Luffy grinned.

"We're kicking their asses," he said. "And soon…I'll come up there and kick yours!" Another breeze blew across adding a dramatic feel to it all. I grinned. Pussycat once again adjusted his glasses then dropped the bag he'd been carrying beside him.

"You'll kick my ass will you?" he jeered. "That's not even mildly amusing as I'm in such a foul mood right now. Either way, I don't believe you'd succeed. I may not look it but…I am a cold blooded killer boy. You shouldn't take me too lightly!" Luffy just scoffed.

"I never said I was," he stated. He then turned around to face the Pussycat.

"Zoro, I'm sorry but…you can handle these two right?" he asked. Zoro smirked.

"Are you doubting me captain?" he accused mockingly. Luffy just grinned.

"Nothing like that," he said. "I just want to make sure you won't complain if I go and take this guy on instead."

"Humph, by all means, go ahead!" he said. "These two will be a piece of cake!"

"Then you'll be needing these!" Nami shouted as she threw the swords by her feet towards the swordsman. Too frightened of the presence of their captain, the Meowban brothers missed their chance to stop Zoro from catching them.

"Thanks!" he said. He then replaced the sheathes on his side and drew out his weapons. "Now let's get this over with!"

"Damn you!" Siam cursed.

"Humph, pathetic!" Pussycat stated. Everyone turned their eye to him again.

"To think that these brats have held you back!" he grumbled. "How the black cat pirates have fallen. What have you got to say for yourself…JANGO!" he yelled at the Moron who cowered in his presence.

"But uh…well…I…you…I mean…well these kids…actually did overhear our whole plan sir!" he spluttered out. "And then they came here…to cut us off! I mean look!" He then gestured behind him to the broken ship.

"One of them broke that off our ship with his bare hands and tried to crush us with it!" he tried to plead his case. Pussycat's eye twitched.

"Do you think petty excuses will do?" he demanded. "I swear; you sound so pathetic and your weakness is inexcusable!" he hollered.

"Sir…we're not weak; it's just that…" he looked down trying to come up with something to say. So I said something for him.

"It's just that you're a pussycat in charge of a pussy crew and we're just that strong!" I said beaming an irritating smile I knew would get on his nerves. I watched as his hand twitched as he probably wished he could wring my neck.

"Pussy crew!?" the Meowban brothers demanded as they glared at me. I just shrugged.

"Hey, if you're so mad, take it up with your captain. He's the one who let you get that way," I told them. What I didn't expect was for them to take my advice.

"You know she's got a point," Siam stated. "How dare you call us weak!"

"Watch what you say captain Kuro," Buchi warned. They then clicked their claws together to allow him to get the picture.

"You used to be quite the killer," Siam went on. "But…face it Kuro it's been three years and we haven't exactly been living the good life waiting on a rich girl hand and foot!"

"Humph, yeah that's right! For three long years we've been out sinking pirate ships and massacring villages!" Buchi added. Meanwhile Pussycat didn't look like he cared all that much.

"That's good; finished?" he asked bored.

"No! You've done nothing this whole time! We've been killing!" said Siam.

"You butler! There's no way you could beat the Meowban brothers!" shouted Buchi. Then the two raced past Zoro and Luffy and completely avoided the oil spill and booby-traps by running along the walls. Honestly I was impressed. They landed and continued until they were practically on top of their captain.

"No, they'll get killed," the Moron muttered.

"You're not our captain anymore!" shouted Siam. The two cackled.

"So sorry but we have to kill you!" his brother joined in. Meanwhile Pussycat hat picked his bag up again and then started to move his feet around in a certain fashion. I watched as he suddenly disappeared going a faster speed than a regular human. The brothers wound up ripping the bag he'd been carrying with their claws and then before they could react, he spoke from where he'd appeared behind them. He now wore black furry looking gloves with sheathes on the longer appendages. He let the sheathes drop to the ground then flexed his fingers making the blades clink together.

"Who…" he said. "Who are you going to kill?" he demanded. The Meowban brothers spun around to face their captain and tried again. However, as they thrust their claws forward they only struck air. I stared on amazement.

"Woah, he's fast," I breathed out.

"That's not all he is," the Moron spoke warily. "That was the Pussy foot maneuver; only one of his more deadly attributes." I blinked at him then turned back to see that Pussycat had made it to standing behind the now shaking Meowban brothers with his sword imbedded gloves positioned in a way that with one strike they'd die.

"You know you're right," he said coolly from behind. "I do feel a bit sluggish after all these years." The Moron behind me stood up.

"With his pussy foot maneuver, Captain Kuro could shred everyone on this beach before we drew our next breath," he explained. "We wouldn't even see it coming. There's no escape from a killing machine like him! I knew he hadn't grown soft when I saw that old habit of his; that strange way of lifting those glasses of his so he won't cut his face. It's like he never stopped wearing those cat claws. They're almost a part of his body of course he hasn't forgotten how to fight!" he quivered some and gulped.

Meanwhile I took in what he'd told me and watched as Pussycat remained where he was standing behind the Meowban brothers and making them shake with fright. They were an inch away from their deaths after all. I smirked as I came to a realization then turned towards the Moron and pointed up at his captain.

"So he really is a pussycat," I said. "He's got claws, he uses the 'pussy' foot maneuver and his crew's named the black cat pirates. Jeez, you guys are really unlucky aren't ya?"

"You think this is a joke!" he yelled at me. Meanwhile Luffy was laughing.

"That's just too funny!" he said. I nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Pussycat finally let out a sigh.

"You're lucky," he said. "I'm feeling somewhat merciful. Maybe these years on dry land have made me soft. I'll give you five minutes!" He then withdrew his claws and held them beside him, allowing the brothers to escape their deaths and to catch their breaths.

"If you can't deal with the situation here in five minutes…then I'll kill every last one of you!" He then backed up some and held his sword-like claws in the air while his arms were folded close to his body leaving no openings.

"Now…have I made myself clear?" The crew shook with fright and yet gave a few sighs of relief at the extended time limit then choked on them as they recalled how fast we'd beaten them last time.

"Oh yes. Yes of course; that's perfectly clear. Thank you for being so forgiving!" The Moron said. He then glanced at all of us and gulped.

"Heh, all we have to do is take down a bunch of kids; no biggie. Five minutes will be more than enough time for them." He chuckled nervously. Then the Meowban brothers began running down the slope towards Zoro and Luffy again. Luffy glanced over his shoulder.

"I'll leave them to you," he said. Zoro nodded then got ready as they once again leapt over the oil spill and trip wires. Luffy leapt up with all of his strength to the side of the cliff where Usopp was. Meanwhile, Nami rushed towards the ship probably going after their treasure while we dealt with bigger problems and then I was faced with the Moron. He turned to face me with a sneer.

"It's nothing personal, just business," he claimed. I beamed a smile at him and chortled with excitement.

"Of course," I replied. "No hard feelings but…I'm gonna kick your ass now!"


	8. SVII The Wizard and the Hypnotist

**_Act I: Scene VII_**

 ** _The Wizard and the Hypnotist_**

* * *

Zoro took his stance, standing strong as the brothers rushed him.

"You idiot; it won't matter how many swords you have," Siam mocked.

"Now you'll die holding three of em!" Buchi claimed. They drew closer and Zoro brought his swords up holding two to the side in a practiced fashion while the white hilted one remained in his mouth. He glared at them as they came.

"You still don't get it," he said through the sword in his mouth. Then he stepped forth and in a flash the Meowban brothers sustained heavy, damaging slashes across their torsos that began gushing blood. They went flying backwards from the momentous force, landing on the oil spill then began to slip and roll down the hill. They stopped at their crewmate's feet.

Meanwhile, Pussycat didn't look too pleased.

"The clock…is ticking," he reminded them. The rest of the crew stared up at the demon swordsman, quaking in their boots. How on earth were they supposed to compete with that?

"Wielding three swords doesn't do you any good," Zoro stated as he stood up again, "Unless you know three sword style!" He sent a pointed glare their way and I giggled.

"It's a good thing he knows it then," I commented as I stared down my opponent; the moron that Pussycat had called Jango. Hmm, maybe now I'll give him a nickname of my own creation.

"Do you presume to believe you can best me?" he asked mockingly. "You're merely a child! How old are you anyways; and you claim to be a pirate?" I strengthened my stance and nodded.

"Yup, I am a pirate," I returned. "I may not look like much but I'm strong. I'm fourteen and I'll be fifteen real soon but that doesn't mean I can't kick your ass. Your dumb tricks won't even work on me!" He hummed.

"Hm, perhaps not but don't be so cocky. I'm not the first mate to the Black Cat pirates for nothing you know," he warned. I cocked my head to the side in confusion.

"Really?" I asked. "Cuz I thought you were their captain since Pussycat quit."

"Yes well, that's only for a little while. But anyways, I haven't got time to dillydally. We only have three minutes remaining!" With that he advanced with his chakram in a fashion I hadn't seen from him earlier. Apparently he was faster than he looked. However, I was faster as I dodged the attack then the next. Then suddenly I lost track of him while I dodged another.

"Huh?" I wondered.

"Like I said," a voice said from behind me. I immediately dodged the incoming strike and turned about to face him.

"Don't get cocky," he spoke with a grin developing on his features. Then I noticed the slash mark that'd cut through the pathway we were on. This guy was definitely no joke. He had some speed on him and he was strong enough to cut the ground. That meant I couldn't let my guard down.

"Let's finish this," he proclaimed then came at me, putting me on the defensive. I was dodging strikes here and there using my enhanced speed to aid me. However, I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge him for long; that'd be too embarrassing anyway. So as another strike from his chakram was sent forth, I took the biggest leap back yet.

"Humph; you think that'll save you?" he jeered. He began to spin his chakram around on its string before aiming and slinging it towards me. Instead of dodging it, this time I was quick to draw my trusty dagger and blocked it creating the sound of ringing blades.

The chakram fell to the ground and I took up an appropriate fighting stance. I stood in a stance taught to me by my Grandmother. She may've been old but she'd been one tough cookie. She'd taught me basic martial arts. Meanwhile it was Joseph, one of Dadan's grunts who'd taught me a bit in the art of knife fighting when I'd been living with my brothers and the mountain bandits. In fact he'd been the one who'd given me my first dagger which I now wielded proudly.

"Nice knife," the Moron jibed. "Let's see if you know how to use it!" I smirked.

"Ya sure ya wanna find out?" I questioned. He and I ran at one another, his arm coming back then forwards to try and cut me while I fell into my old rhythm of dodging blows and jabbing or slicing at my opponent attempting to land a hit. A few times I nicked him or got a hit in but they didn't do much damage and I was getting somewhat nicked too as both our speeds were near the same.

While as kids and before I'd met them, Luffy, Ace and Sabo used to usually rely on their fists when things got rough. I knew that sometimes the three had had to resort to using a weapon of some kind for assistance and leverage purposes. They'd found long sturdy pipes from gray terminal and had become well known for their ruthless force and sneaky tactics. Needless to say, Sabo and Ace were the brains of the outfit. Luffy was just extra muscle and a bullet shield although he'd come a long way from those days.

I dodged a strike, twirling away from it then around his person quickly to throw a jab towards an open area on his torso. He dodged then blocked and pushed off from me, coming in again. Meanwhile, I noticed in my peripheral vision that Nami had full out run towards their ship at this point. She was probably trying to find shelter from the crazy fights and get a head start on treasure finding.

At the same time, Buchi, the larger of the Meowban brothers had attempted to go after Zoro again only to get cut up once more and be grounded for the rest of the battle. We were on the last few seconds in the five minutes that Pussycat had given his crew. That was fine by me. He was probably going to massacre his whole crew regardless so that no one knowing who he used to be would be alive. If that alone didn't prove him as a Pussy then I didn't know what would.

Unconsciously, I blocked another throw however I didn't see his next move coming. Purposefully, he feinted towards me and I stupidly thought he'd tripped. The next thing I know as I move in to take the opening, I let him into my personal space and I'm bleeding from a fresh and rather deep cut to my side.

"Urgh!" I gritted through my teeth refusing to cry out pathetically. I'd deserved it anyways for not paying closer attention to his motives. Maybe I'll just give him his own nickname after I've kicked his ass. He stood up panting some while I staggered back a bit clutching my wound. I glared up at him and continued gritting my teeth against the pain. This was nothing compared to that stupid bear's claws that'd raked across my torso that one time. I'd almost died then.

"It seems you're time has run out," The Moron taunted. However, he couldn't have been more wrong.

"Actually Jango," a cool voice spoke from the top of the hill. He gazed down at his crew and the Moron as though they were nothing more than garbage. After he adjusted his glasses one more time, he straightened up and held his cat claws up delicately on either side of his face.

"Your time's run out. Five minutes have past and these brats are still standing. Now…you all will die!" The moron gritted his teeth. Meanwhile, Zoro stared up at him from where he still stood over the Meowban brothers with disinterest and Luffy…well he was up on the cliff somewhere so I assume he's getting ready for his fight.

Just then, I noticed as Pussycat tensed right before he'd been about to pussy foot maneuver himself to kill his crew. He brought his claws up ready to attack and turned about with annoyance on his face.

"Don't you ever sneak up on me," he snarled, "Unless you want to die!" He swiftly turned baring his claws.

"Kaya!" I heard Usopp shout from up on the cliff. Then he cried out in pain and blood flew to the ground. I tensed as I felt a twinge in my stomach.

"Usopp!" I cried with worry at the same time my brother did.

"Damn it!" hissed Zoro. He sheathed two of his swords and began to run up the slope, using the same trick as the Meowban brothers – though somewhat sloppier – to get past the oil spill. On instinct, I immediately chased after, not having to worry about the Moron as he'd been frozen in fear by his captain's words then surprised by his sudden attack.

I transformed into my hybrid state and cleared the oil spill in no time at all earning some shocked gasps and terrified yelps from those who'd never seen my power before. I arrived at the same time as Zoro and Luffy by Usopp's side.

"Usopp, are you okay?!" Luffy asked concerned. I sent him a glare.

"Idiot, of course he's not okay, he just got sliced by Pussycat over there!" I stated, jabbing my thumb in the Pussycat's general direction. Meanwhile, I could see he was straightening up with some surprise on his face. At the same time, the cabbage patch trio rushed over as well and Kaya, Usopp's friend from the mansion was sitting up and staring down at him in horror.

"U-Usopp!" she choked, some tears coming to her eyes. Meanwhile, Zoro looked him over then let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew, it doesn't look too deep. He should be fine!" he said. Of course something tells me I shouldn't take Zoro's word for it since he and Usopp are two entirely different men with entirely different strengths.

"Usopp, please say that you're okay," Kaya pleaded. After a short pause he coughed and weakly turned his head to look up at her.

"Kaya," he wheezed out.

"Usopp," she replied.

"What…what're you doing here? You should be back at the mansion…you shouldn't have come!" Kaya's brows suddenly furrowed.

"How could you?!" she cried in frustration, coughing afterwards. "How could you just leave me out of the loop; why didn't you tell me…or anybody?" She started sniffling. Usopp smirked and chuckled dryly.

"Would you have believed me?" he countered. She froze as realization came to her though she was still puzzled.

"Would you or anyone in the village have believed the village liar? Listen Kaya…all I do is lie and this…this is just another one of those lies. As long as I and my friends still breathe we won't let any one of these pirates into that village and…I won't let them hurt you either. So please; go home where it's safe." Kaya's eyes were filling with tears.

"Oh Usopp," she cried and shook. "Don't be such a dummy. I'm not going anywhere!"

"This is no place for a lady," Pussycat spoke up using his old butler tone with her. She froze. "Please leave!" Kaya trembled but I saw her face contort into firm determination.

"Please stop; don't do this," she begged. Pussycat raised an eyebrow. She turned her determined gaze on him.

"Stop; stop this right now; Klahadore!" she shouted. Pussycat's brows rose in amusement but other than that his expression didn't change. Kaya stood up to stare her old caretaker in the eyes whilst holding her jacket closer to her body to cover up more.

"I know what you're up to. Merry already told me about everything!"

"Hm, what's the girl from the mansion doing down here?" I heard Moron question from down the slope. The crew then seemed to be more relieved.

"The whole reason we're here is to murder that little rich girl," one of the men pointed out.

"If she's here then we don't have to go to the village," stated another.

"All we gotta do is kill her right?" asked a third. I meanwhile continued watching the scene before me. It was pretty cool of Kaya to come out here to stick it to the man…or rather the Pussycat but…seriously Usopp was right. She'd only made their jobs significantly easier by coming here.

Then there was the fact her illness was a slight handicap. Since Zoro was done with the Meowban brothers, he could help protect her and the veggie trio from harm if the captain or first mate came after her. Usopp too now that he looked like he was down for the count. He could provide cover fire as they got away and meanwhile, Nami was dealing in treasure business.

This meant, that no matter what happened next, that Luffy and I couldn't lose to our opponents. I waited with baited breath as Pussycat was my brother's opponent and kept a careful eye and ear out for my own in case he too started up the slope from where he was.

"Klahadore please," Kaya continued. "If you want my fortune you can have it. Take it all and leave this village right now! I'm begging you!" Pussycat remained stoic.

"I will gladly accept your fortune Ms. Kaya. Thank you," he said. He then brought up the heel of his hand to adjust his glasses once more.

"But I want more. See, simply acquiring wealth isn't enough!" I furrowed my brows at that statement as I watched Kaya give him a questioning and wary look.

"More than anything else…what I want is peace." Kaya blinked.

"You want peace?" she questioned not quite understanding. I rolled my eyes.

"This coming from the guy who spent three years plotting to kill the rich girl," I remarked smartly. He ignored me.

"Yes just peace. Peace of mind," he confirmed. "It's simple really. I've spent the last three years earning the trust of the entire village and to be honest I find this new sense of peace and tranquility quite comforting. When my plan comes to fruition, I will live with this sublime peace of mind." I watched as he tried to play the part of humble but just crinkled my nose at him. Even if he had managed to pull it off, he still wouldn't have been able to get away from the marines. It was as Zoro had told Coby before we'd left him; the marine's information gathering was top notch. He'd have peace but it wouldn't be for very long.

I noticed how Kaya backed up from the man, no longer even knowing who he was anymore. She only saw the enemy who she couldn't believe was real. However, she was determined to do what she had to, to keep her home safe. The question was, would she be able to?

"Yes…the glorious comfort of a peaceful life will be mine for forever and ever." He brought himself up and dramatically gestured to the rest of his crew.

"In short; these pirates are coming! And you…will leave your fortune to me and die. Ms. Kaya…these things will happen!" Pussycat smirked devilishly at her.

"No, you can't," she choked out though her voice was just barely audible. "You just can't be!" She trembled as she began to pull something out of her coat. I could hear it as it rattled and the scent was unmistakable. It was a gun. Was she really planning to use it?

"You're wrong!" I suddenly spoke up. Pussycat turned to face me as I stood up straight, hands working to tighten my bandanna as I held him in my gaze. Then I gave him the most irritating grin I could and pointed down the hill where his first mate was.

"None of those things are gonna happen cuz we already kicked your crew's asses and now I'm gonna finish kicking your hypnotist's ass. If he can't hypnotize Kaya then she won't have to sign her fortune over to you and before you could kill her, Luffy will kick your ass first. So consider us as the unforeseen variables that're here to make your plans fall apart!"

He stared at me then smirked.

"Can you really be that naïve?" he asked. "What makes you think that I'd lose to the likes of you?" I smirked too.

"And what makes you think you're gonna beat the likes of us?" I countered. Then I glanced back to see Kaya had frozen in her action of pulling out the gun when I'd stepped forward and spoke. I smiled at her reassuringly and then turned to Usopp.

"You won't be able to help us fight these guys anymore," I told him. "I think you should take Zoro to help you watch out for Kaya and those kids. It's in our hands now." I watched Usopp's eyes widen.

"Are…are you serious?" he exclaimed. I nodded. Luffy had stood up too.

"Go ahead," he agreed. "We'll keep these idiots distracted. Just get her to safety!" Usopp sputtered then tried to protest.

"But I'd be leaving you here to fight my battles," he said. "How could I do that to you? I…"

"A great swordsman and sniper will guard over you," I spoke to Kaya, cutting him off. "They won't let any harm come to you." Suddenly my ears perked up and I dodged right as a chakram came racing towards me then used my dagger to redirect it.

"What makes you so sure of that!?" the Moron demanded with a sneer. Apparently he'd scaled the cliff wall to make it past the oil this time. I narrowed my eyes and got into a ready stance.

"Usopp," Luffy said. I noticed Usopp shifted to look at him. "This is…your captain's orders!" he finished. With that, Usopp knew the gravity of those words. It meant that Luffy wouldn't lose to Pussycat or I to the Moron and that soon he'd be a part of our crew. His lip quivered some but he steeled his resolve and managed to stand staggeringly to his feet. He breathed heavily then turned around and picked Kaya up bridal style the best he could.

"Usopp!" she exclaimed in surprise. He gave her a somewhat reassuring smile.

"Please allow me to take you to safety Kaya," he said. Then he called out.

"Usopp Pirates! Our mission is to protect Kaya at all costs! Let's go!" With that, he started to jog as best he could towards the woods with Zoro and the veggie trio hot on his tail. Meanwhile, Pussycat moved to intercept, flashing to just beside Usopp and Kaya, startling them.

"And who said you could leave?" he demanded of them. Usopp staggered some but refused to stop running. As Pussycat's claws were about to cleave him in half so that he would drop Kaya, a rubber fist from Luffy met the side of his face and pushed him into a tree which then cracked and groaned as it began to fall. The surprised looks on the crew members faces below who'd seen it along with his own surprised face was enough to make me laugh out loud.

"That'd be me," he replied to the question. Meanwhile, I noticed the Moron attempting to get past me. I grinned.

"Sorry but, you're gonna stay right here," I said as I allowed myself to intercept his speed and kick at him forcing him backwards again. He tsk'd with annoyance and glared back. Meanwhile, Pussycat began to pick himself up slowly. Usopp and the others were getting farther away. He looked at Luffy's smug face.

"That hurt!" he glowered. I snorted. What did he expect from a punch? He continued glaring over at Luffy who'd reclaimed his hand.

"My, my, that's quite a strange technique you've developed there." He then glanced my way. "And your friend seems to have an odd habit as well. Tell me something…did you have powers from eating the devil fruit?" He demanded. Luffy and I exchanged glances before glancing back towards Pussycat.

"Yup!" my brother replied. "I'm a rubber man!"

"And I'm a bunny girl! Don't let the cotton tail n' long ears fool ya; I'm a special 'kind' of cute n' cuddly!"

"It's true; they ate the devil's fruit!" cried one of the Pussycat's crew in horror as the others became frightened of the taboo notion.

"Those two are dangerous! Look at how easily they beat us!" cried another one.

"Those devil fruit people are real!? If captain Kuro doesn't kill us they surely will!"

"He's got rubber arms of death!"

"And she's got….wait…where's the downside to the other one again?" I rolled my eyes at the last one.

"Yes it all makes perfect sense now," the Moron stated, staring at me. "I didn't just hallucinate his arm stretching out like that or your body transforming earlier. At first I couldn't believe it when you told me what you two were but then it also explains how you're quick enough to keep up with my speed." I smirked.

"Yeah…that and all those years training with my brothers," I added on.

"I see," he said.

"Jango!" snapped Pussycat. The moron jumped nearly having a heart attack.

"Ah, yes sir!?" he replied. Pussycat continued to glare at Luffy as he brought his gloves up at the ready.

"Hurry up and kill the rabbit. Then take care of Ms. Kaya like we planned. Have her write her butler into her will. Then kill her!" he commanded. He flexed his fingers, making the blades of his gloves clink together.

"As for the kids, Usopp and the swordsman…they're an eyesore…eliminate them!" He finished. The moron grinned with a slight gulp.

"Yes, of course sir; I'm on it!" he reassured, turning back towards me. I grinned.

"First ya gotta get by me!" I said. "Don't assume it'll be easy!"

"Tch, what did I say about being cocky girl?" he demanded. It was then that he sprung forward with his chakram. I leapt back, blocking with my dagger and we entered into another battle involving our blades.

To the untrained eye, our blades clashed and blocked so fast, they were a blur. It was about as fast as Zoro had gone against the Meowban brothers or as fast as Pussycat had moved his feet. We continued to go at it while Luffy's own fight began to get underway.

"Gum-Gum Spear!" I heard him cry out. Pussycat managed to dodge with his speed but that wouldn't save him for long. Luffy's legs sprung back and he did a backflip. Pussycat stood across from him and asked why we would bother butting into this village's affairs when we were outsiders.

"He's got a good point, why would you care enough to meddle in?" the Moron stated, thrusting a chakram forward; the blade going to have stabbed my ribcage if I hadn't sidestepped it aiming another jab at his unprotected side. He promptly brought his arm down, swiping mine away before it could hit him. I back flipped away to avoid the slicing motion of his chakram coming forwards again.

"Well…if you must know," I said as I stood up straight to look him in the eyes.

"There's a man in this village we don't wanna let die!" Luffy and I said in unison.

"Jinx!" I shouted before he could. He glanced at me with a pout.

"Aw Al; no fair," he whined. I just grinned wide.

"You owe me!" I called. He harrumphed and turned back to face Pussycat.

"Hn, simple enough. Are you okay with that being the reason that you die?" Pussycat sneered. Luffy grinned, earlier sibling argument forgotten for the time being.

"Sure am!" he said. Then he took a stronger stance and brought his fist up to emphasize his point. "But I'm not gonna die!" Pussycat grinned and readied his cat claws.

"We'll see about that!" he roared. Then the two went at it again. I sent another blow forth but the moron dodged and countered. The moron was a pretty big weirdo and idiot but he was good; I'd give him that. I couldn't even deter my gaze to glance at Luffy as he fought the Pussycat. I had to keep my eyes on my opponent.

Once again, dagger and chakram clashed in the middle for a long time before the two pushed off from one another, their wielders leaping back. However, Moron seemed to give up.

"Oh this is pointless if I can't even get another hit in like before," he grumbled. Then he grinned. "Looks like I'll be resorting to my old tricks." He spun around dramatically making me furrow my brows.

"You know how to knife fight and you're not half bad but…this little game is over!" I blinked not knowing what the heck he was talking about.

"Yeah, yeah," I sighed. "Just hurry up and go down already!" I complained as I rushed forward. He didn't even bring up his chakram to defend himself. However, he didn't need to as I expertly stabbed forward like I'd been taught his body lurched from its position into a new pose. I tried to block as his chakram came for me but just as my blade was about to fend his off, his disappeared and was suddenly slicing through the skin from my shoulder blade to my elbow. I cried out in pain and surprise.

I twirled about and got into a defensive stance, holding my arm where it'd been cut. It stung but I'd live and it'd heal. The question was how the hell did he manage that?

"You're probably wondering how I managed to not only dodge your attack but slice your arm and get away so quickly," he spoke. "Well, let's just say…it just took me a while to get into the groove of things!" He lifted his head up displaying a sinister grin. Something tells me it's not going to be so easy anymore.

"Now…on the count of one, two, Jango, you'll be defeated!" he declared. He then began to move in an odd fashion. I tensed getting ready for him. He twirled and leapt about twirled some more then moonwalked quicker than I thought was possible for any man to perform.

"What the hell?" I wondered. I attempted to dodge right then attack from the side but he countered and twirled about like a spinning top knocking me on my rear. Before I could get up, he was behind me and kicking me in the temple which sent me fly into a tree. Damn he was strong.

"One!" he counted. I attempted to sit up but my head was spinning from the kick. I did my best to shake it out and focus but I couldn't. I managed to see as the hypnotist wound back his arm in a practiced fashion then threw his chakram at me with more strength than I'd seen him use before. I managed to move some to avoid the most damage but it still cut clean through my side where he'd cut me before and continued into the tree behind me. I cried out in pain.

"Two," he continued. I held my side trying to figure out what was going on. Was he all of a sudden faster than me? I couldn't help but wonder why that was the case. I saw him wind up his arm again, this time aiming for my head. It flew faster than I thought it would but I couldn't afford to lose here.

I attempted to block with my knife but I was too slow for the spinning blade. I had only one option left. I began focusing on the power within which I knew was my aura.

" _I calleth upon thee, the powers that art hither within…Wizard's art…art of illusion_!" I muttered hurriedly under my breath. Just as the ring was about to pierce my skull, I managed to pull away then once there was a sickening thunk as it hit the wood, I slumped over playing dead.

"Jango!" the man finished. I could sense him grinning and putting on an air of arrogance.

"I bet you're wondering how I beat you so efficiently?" he questioned me tauntingly. I could imagine the sneer he'd placed upon his face.

"Well, let's just say hypnosis can work in many ways. Any idiot can put a ring on a string and swing it back and forth but my practice is an ancient art. I didn't have to use my chakram to hypnotize you. All I really needed were my moves. Then you were helpless and at my mercy. I became faster and you became slower; that's all there is to it." He stood up from taunting me and he reached through my illusion without disrupting it to retrieve his chakram stuck in the tree. He flicked it clean of the fake blood and my earlier blood then pocketed it.

"Such a pity," he stated. "I hadn't wanted to off a little brat like you but you gave me no choice. Now if you'll excuse me; I have a girl to force into writing her will along with three brats and two idiots to kill. Enjoy the afterlife!" He began to walk away and I listened to him as he left. I finally let the spell go as soon as he was out of range of my sight but not my senses although he would be soon if I didn't do anything. I sighed as I sat up and leaned back against the tree in thought.

"So…when he pulled off those weird dance moves earlier, he was really just hypnotizing me into becoming slow enough for him to strike at and get a hit in. I did nothing wrong and I'm anything but weak. He just resorted to trickery." I crossed my arms with a huff that blew a few strands of my scarlet hair out of my face.

 _"_ _It would seem as though you're not as defenseless to his hypnotic tricks as you thought,"_ her voice sounded in my head. I sighed then began to get to my feet.

"Maybe but that was only cuz I had my guard dropped in that department while I was fighting. I'm still stronger in the mind than Luffy though!" I pouted. I winced as I stood, letting my hand cover up my wound that'd come from the chakram. At least it was a somewhat clean cut and not done by an amateur. The scar wouldn't be as ugly.

 _"_ _You're hurt, perhaps you should take the time to patch yourself up,"_ she suggested worriedly. I smirked.

"I'll be fine," I reassured her. "I've had worse and besides…I still have to beat that guy!"

 _"_ _How will you do so if you can be easily hypnotized like before?"_ she questioned. I waved her worry away.

"Not to worry, I'll just start pulling out my own tricks. He might be a hypnotist but I'm a wizard. If I can keep him on his toes without enough time to use those silly moves and steel my mind then I've got the advantage."

 _"_ _But do you have a plan?"_ she chastised. I just continued smiling as I began walking off in the same direction as the hypnotist.

"It'll come to me," I told her. I imagined her shaking her head at my naivety. Okay so I don't exactly have a plan yet but that doesn't mean I'm about to let that overgrown weirdo win against me. Besides, I've got better tricks than his up my sleeve.

* * *

"Come out, come out wherever you are," the moron called out as he sliced through more trees; cutting them down as he made his way through the forest. I rolled my eyes at him from where I followed him from underground.

Currently I was in bunny form and burrowing after my target. My aura healing had managed to close my wound so I wouldn't bleed out but I could still feel the extent of the damage underneath the skin. Meanwhile, I was raking my brain for any bright ideas on how to beat this guy. To be honest I had no idea that his weird dance moves amounted to hypnotism but then again I don't know much about the art itself.

"You might as well stop hiding now," he called again. "The longer you hide the longer you're only avoiding the inevitable." Jeez, does this guy love to hear himself talk or what? However I couldn't think too much on that as some familiar auras began to flicker into my field of sense. I cursed under my breath and began to divert my path over towards them, keeping a close reading on the moron.

It appeared that they'd had to stop for a breather probably due to Kaya's illness and Usopp's bad injuries. But it was good to sense that both he and Zoro were on guard as well as the veggie trio who were getting ready to defend Kaya at the cost of their lives. The moron spotted them.

"Ah, so there you are," he stated. "Now…let's get this over with." He began walking towards them and Zoro held up his one sword.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more," he said. "Al might've been easy to beat for you but I can guarantee I won't be as easily defeated."

"T-that's right," Usopp stuttered. "We won't let you get to Kaya!"

"And neither will we!" the veggie trio chorused. Meanwhile I was scowling at Zoro's interpretation. This was probably the first time he'd actually see me 'really' fight. Well he was definitely in for a surprise and so was this idiot as soon as I had a plan.

"How sweet," the Moron sneered. "I think I might actually throw-up. But this farce is over! Your friend was only a minor blip on my radar and now you're short one crewmember. It looks like you all drew up the short end up the stick. But honestly; what did you think would happen when you sent such a pathetic little girl into battle?"

"WHO YOU CALLIN' A PATHETIC, LITTLE GIRL?!" I demanded in outrage as I burst from the earth underneath him and socked him under the chin. He was sent flying into a nearby tree trunk. I glared down at him in my hybrid form. Then I turned the glare on Zoro.

"And who you callin' easily beaten?" I demanded. He just smirked.

"You had me worried for a bit. I guess we both underestimated you," he admitted. I huffed.

"Damn straight. Don't do it again," I warned. He laughed and sheathed his sword. I turned back to glare at the hypnotist as he struggled to his feet, his eyes behind his now cracked glasses widened in shock.

"What the hell?" he demanded. "I killed you! I know it. I saw my chakram pierce your skull on that tree. How're you still alive and without a gash in your head?!" I smirked and giggled cheekily.

"That was a little something I'd like to call illusion magic," I told him. "I can make anybody caught in my vicinity fall prey to my own and their own imagination. See…you might be a hypnotist but I'm…a wizard!" He blinked not comprehending.

"Wizard you say?" he asked. "Please; do I look like a fool to you? Magic doesn't exist!" I continued grinning.

"Really?" I questioned teasingly. "Are you sure?" He gritted his teeth.

"Of course I'm sure!" he snapped back. "Magic is just a silly fairytale for kids. Even I know that magician's use skillful tricks to amuse and deceive the audience. However, it's merely a simple principle of using a bit of psychology here and some imagination there. They're the same principles that define hypnotism!"

"That may be so," I replied. "But then again this is only one ocean in the grand scheme of oceans. By far the weakest sea, I'm not surprised wizards haven't been heard of or even seen here in the East Blue. But if you're so sure then why don't we test it shall we? For this next segment, to avoid your stupid hypnotist tricks, I'm gonna start using my own tricks got it? Whosever tricks out trick the other is the winner k?"

The moron got down into a ready stance, chakram spinning on his finger before he caught it in a clutch.

"Humph, are you really that daft? Fine then; whatever tricks you have up your sleeve; I'll still defeat you like last time!" I grinned.

"We'll see," I said back also getting into a ready fighting stance. I breathed in and out to prepare myself. Looks like I'll be wingin' it again. But this time with a plan that may or may not come to me later.

We stood in a stalemate for what seemed forever. The peanut gallery made of my friends watched on in anticipation. I watched carefully, steeling my mind with some enhanced aura just in case as his muscles tensed, getting ready to launch an attack.

We attacked at the same time. He began to move hypnotically but I'd already launched myself at him. Even if I'd been hypnotized into thinking I was slow again, my actual momentum was sending me faster and faster towards my enemy. However, I hadn't been hypnotized again as I mentally fought off the discreet haze in my psyche that threatened to envelope my mind a second time.

Our blades clashed as we passed one another by trying to wound the other. I landed and quickly turned to face the moron. After all, never show your back to an enemy right? He turned to me with a sneer but I just grinned back. Then I grounded my stance more and began to recite words I'd learned from my grandparents themselves.

" _My opponent so stands on ground that I stand. My connection to the earth is stronger and mightier. So let his connection tremble and quake until he falls unable to stand on earth that is stronger than he!_ " I cried.

The moron jolted with concern as the ground beneath him began to tremble. He sweated.

"The ground's shaking; an illusion?" he questioned. He looked to me with a sneer.

"Don't think this is enough to stop me!" he claimed. I smirked.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not done yet; at least not until the support under you falls away." He blinked in confusion.

"Oh and what's that supposed to…wait how're you glowing?" he demanded. Indeed as he'd said, I was glowing with my earth aura activated; an aura that allowed me to connect to my main elemental magic. However, he had little time to contemplate on that as the ground beneath him began to give way. He jumped back in shock, getting caught off guard then falling on his rump on the spot of earth behind him I hadn't taken hold of. I had just for all intents and purposes, metaphorically speaking, pulled the rug right out from under him. I laughed.

"Still don't believe in magic weirdo?" I asked. He stood up, brushing himself off.

"Brat; don't underestimate me!" he bellowed back in rage. I got back into a ready stance.

"Oh I wouldn't dream of doing that," I told him. He switched stances and began to move again.

"Enough; that's the last time you'll pull that," he declared. I rolled my eyes and kneeled down. Before his eyes I brought up my glowing fist to smash it into the earth beneath me. I grabbed a clump of it before standing up again. He scoffed as he seemed to catch on.

"Are you really going to start throwing dirt at me?" he mocked. I smirked back.

"Something like that," I admitted. He huffed then spun his chakram around again threateningly.

"Bring it on!" he declared and he began charging me. Meanwhile the dirt I was holding was solidifying and glowing the same colour as me. I threw it when he got close enough for it to have a bigger impact. The fistful of earth hit him hard and fast so he had no time to dodge. It sent him flying into a tree with a grunt and I could hear the veggie trio cheering me on.

I got myself more clumps of dirt ready. The moron wheezed as he got up because I'd gotten him in the gut. He held onto his midsection and winced in pain as he stood. He sent a glare at me – at least that's what it felt like. I couldn't tell because of the shades.

"You've got a strong throw, I'll give you that," he admitted. I continued to smirk coyly at him.

"Thanks," I replied. I began to chuck dirt again but this time he began to dodge and weave around it. I had to shake myself several times to keep from falling under his movement's hypnotic spell. Now that I'm more aware of what he can do, it's easier to ward off. It's more like a droning mosquito is flying by your head, you swat at it, it leaves for a bit before returning. That's kind of how it felt.

He continued to dodge my assault but I could tell that he was beginning to catch on. Every time he dodged, my attacks hit something else and they left quite the impact. That's because I wasn't just throwing dirt around, I was throwing around earth aura enhanced dirt and that packed a deadlier punch depending on how much aura was coating the projectile. If I'd been going all out, that first attack would've killed him instantly thanks to all of the internal injuries it would cause. Just ask all the prey I hunted with my brothers.

After he dodged another one, he seemed to grow infuriated.

"Just what the hell is going on?!" he demanded. "How the hell are you leaving craters? There's no way you can be that strong!" I just laughed.

"And how would you know?" I demanded back cheekily. "I could just be that good!"

"No that's not it," he snapped back, "It has something to do with that unnatural glow surrounding you. Yes, either that or you're using my own hypnotism tricks against me!" I laughed again.

"No way; I don't know how to hypnotize people." I told him honestly. "But you're right about one thing. This glow is a part of it. See, I've coated myself in earth aura which connects me to the earth itself. When I send my attacks at you, they have a bigger impact because of how much earth aura I'm sending into them. It's how wizards can control the elements in their spells."

"You've got to be joking," he sneered back as I sent more projectiles at him. I just smirked at him.

"I can assure you I'm serious," I explained. "Wizards can control the elements with their aura. Basically your aura is naturally attuned to one of the four main elements and sometimes the sub elements as well. A wizard utilizes their elemental auras to connect with the element they're closest to so that they can perform elemental spells. Sometimes if you train yourself really well in one element then you can learn how to shift your aura in order to learn spells from other elements. And it's not just element based spells either. A person's aura is what controls the magic of the world and can unlock the auras of the mystics." I finished talking and Moron dodged one last rock - as I'd been throwing them while I was 'teaching' - and pointed an irritated finger my way.

"Oh please, that's a load of bull crap. I admit that you have an active imagination but spouting nonsense won't save you or your so called friends from me or Captain Kuro! Even if you and these whelps could miraculously defeat me, your rubber friend won't stand a chance against the captain of the Black Cat pirates. He'll slaughter all of you when he's done with him but when he comes here…well let's just say I won't allow you to escape! I won't dishonor my captain and crew by failing them now!" I stared at him with a neutral expression for a few seconds before I giggled and gave him a big smile since I found his statement quite hilarious.

"Well then, it's a good thing that your mighty captain has already dishonored himself isn't it? If he wasn't such a big pussy afraid to get his feet wet then maybe we wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have to defeat you. So yeah; no worries in that department." It took a few seconds for my words to finally sink in. His face contorted in rage.

"Enough!" he shouted. "This ends now!" I got ready with my chunks of earth and grinned.

"I couldn't agree more," I replied. He ran forward in blind rage to attack me again but had to start dodging once more as I began to chuck more earth at him. I even started to cause more tremors like the one before that either shook him or created sinkholes he would have to dodge. He became more and more furious until finally he let out an enraged yell and started to move about crazier to dodge.

My eyes widened as I felt a heavier haze being directly forced onto my brain. I did my ample best to push it off but it weakened my aura as I had to redirect it to stay more focused. My earth projectiles and tremors became weaker and weaker and I felt my orientation sway a little as I fought with the haze he was directing at me. I guess his hypnotism powers get stronger when he's mad?

As I fought of the haze, I managed to glance up again to try and focus on and pinpoint him. Idly I wondered if I'd be lucky and he'd somehow manage to hypnotize himself but I guess that only worked if he was using the chakram on its string. A few more minutes and my world was rocking much I felt like I was on a ship at sea during a really bed storm or that I was drunk or something. However, at some point it felt like it was starting to wear off and I tried even harder to pinpoint his location. Had he hidden like I had before in order to get the drop on me?

A scream echoed in the forest and I froze. I managed to shake the last bits of dizzying haze to glance up. I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I hadn't been the only one affected by the hypnotism it would seem. The veggie tri had dropped their weapons and were on their asses trying to recover; one of them throwing up in the process. Zoro looked like he was seasick on land and trying to hold himself upright on a tree with gritted teeth like my own and he was also attempting to glare at the hypnotist. Usopp seemed to be the only one not majorly affected as he stood steadily and aimed a lead pellet at Moron.

Meanwhile, the Moron had managed to throw me off and sneak up on the group of people and take Kaya hostage. His game was absolutely dirty but at least he was focused on his task at hand so kudos to him for that. That didn't change the fact that he was backing away with her, his chakram pointed at her neck.

"Don't even try it boy," he threatened Usopp. "If you do I can't promise I'll be gentle!" Usopp's hand shook and he grit his teeth in anger and annoyance. I too am really pissed off at this idiot. However, I soon noticed an opening as the moron laughed.

"Wow, I can't believe you all really thought that you could defeat me; the great hypnotist Jango," he claimed sneering. "Now that I have the girl, you'll do well not to piss me up. All I really need to do is have her write her will. That only requires her hands and arms. I might just cut up her legs or torso if you try anything understand? If you're cooperative, I may be merciful and give you all a quick…agh!"

"Bullseye!" I cheered. "Now Usopp!" Usopp didn't miss a beat and pulled his slingshot up, firing on the moron. It's a good thing Moron has a big ego and likes hearing himself talk. Maybe not as much as Bugly did but hey, it gave me the opportune moment to knock that chakram right out of his hand and distract him.

Once Usopp fired on him, Moron doubled over in pain as the lead pellet him right in the forehead and made him fall down while letting go of Kaya's arm. Immediately the scared and ill girl raced back over to where Usopp, Zoro and veggie trio were right into the sniper's arms. He held her to his chest protectively and comfortingly while he glared at the moron on the ground groaning in pain.

Before he could recover and before I could attack again, the veggie trio had recovered from the previous hypnotism and were racing forth with their weapons again. They started to beat him with a frying pan, a shovel and I think a rolling pin. I would have laughed if I wasn't so annoyed at them interrupting my fight. It wasn't long before I was blowing my top at them and they were slowing down.

"ENOUGH! STOP HITTING HIM NOW!" I yelled at them. They turned to me looking smug. Carrot wiped something from under his nose.

"Don't worry, we can take care of him," he said confidently. Onion grinned as well.

"Yeah we won't let him hurt Kaya!"

"Nothing can stop us now. I bet he won't be able to get up after this," laughed Pepper. I growled as my eye twitched a little. Stupid little brats. This is my fight.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" I yell. "THIS IS OUR FIGHT WHICH MEANS THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE YOU THREE. NOW STOP!" They frowned at my behaviour.

"Geez, you'd think she'd be a little more grateful," I heard Pepper mutter.

"Yeah," the other two agreed. I tensed as I watched the moron get up behind them as they started walking back over to the others. He chuckled darkly and the veggie trio finally sensed his presence.

"And you'd think that you'd be a little more intelligent," the moron hissed at them. They slowly glanced back at him as he held up his chakram menacingly. He had a crazed look in his eye, this time it was seeable since they'd broken his glasses.

"Oh crap, GUYS GET OUTTA THERE!" Usopp shouted in panic. Moron brought his arm back aiming at Carrot who was closest to him out of the veggie trio. The trio trembled and cried out in fear. Then they all burst out yelling at the top of their lungs as they attempted to make a mad dash back the safety of the others. Moron however managed to grab Carrot by the back of his shirt and aimed his chakram at the others as they turned around in horror. He threw it at them and I moved to intercept it.

It was as he grinned ferally I realized his true plan and noticed the special wire attached to the chakram again. He tugged the string pulled back the ring towards him so he could finish the kid he actually had in his grasp. He was planning to make an example of one. Both Zoro and Usopp were tensed behind me, Kaya had closed her eyes in fear and the other two of the trio watched in horror.

Luckily I was there. Right as he'd pulled it back towards him, I managed to thrust my arm through the hole of the chakram and grabbed the wire firmly in my hand. I ignored how it cut into my skin and with one swift and strong tug my enemy came flying at me suddenly having dropped Carrot I did so. His eyes were blown wide as he came closer and closer crying out in surprise. I shifted my stance. The Moron was moving too fast to stop his flight.

"Since black cats only ever carry bad luck, allow me to introduce you to my lucky rabbit's foot!" I exclaimed as I leapt up as he approached, summersaulted once in the air then brought my hybrid form's rabbit foot down right into the man's screaming face. The scream of terror was cut off as my foot became firmly planted in face. I smirked as after staying frozen like that for but a moment, the Moron finally fell down onto the ground.

I hadn't killed him; I know how to control my own strength. But by my estimate and judging by the indent I'd left, I'd say he'll be out for quite a while. I dropped the chakram I was still holding and turned around to face the others with a wide grin on my face.

"Now that's what I call a face plant; wouldn't you agree?" I chortled. Zoro tsk'd amusedly while his arms remained crossed.

"Well I guess that takes care of that," he said. I laughed as I walked over to them.

"Yup!" I agreed. Usopp let out a sigh of relief as he slumped down on a nearby toppled tree from Moron's path of destruction earlier.

"What a relief," he said. He looked up as Carrot came running up at him and smiled.

"You okay Carrot?" he asked. The boy though he looked shaken gave a shaky smile that was still genuine despite his recent shock then gave us a thumb's up. He sighed again with relief.

"That's good," he said. "Because now I have something to ask of you all." The kids and Kaya sat down on the ground in relief to catch their breath. I simply leaned up against the bark of a tree and Zoro watched on with a quirked eyebrow.

"Everything that happened here today," he started again. "It went completely unnoticed by the villagers didn't it?" He now wore a smile on his face. The kids exchanged glances then nodded at him in reply while Kaya simply smiled.

"Well, I think it'd be best if we keep it this way. The villagers don't need to know about what happened here. So think you can keep it a secret?" Their eyes grew wide in surprise.

"What? A secret; why would we wanna keep all of this a secret?" Carrot demanded having finally gotten over his shock.

"Yeah why huh? We all put our lives on the line to save the village!" Pepper added.

"Now everyone will change their opinion of you so instead of being Usopp the liar you'll be Usopp the hero!" Exclaimed Onion. The kids then started debating their opinions at once becoming inaudible to the rest of us.

"Really Usopp," Kaya said leaning forward. "You shouldn't have to be known as just a liar anymore." I watched as Usopp chuckled at the statements.

"Why?" he asked simply. "Since nobody saw what happened, there's no reason to go scaring them now is there? Besides, I seriously doubt that anymore pirates like Kuro and his gang will show up. There's no reason for pirates to attack our out of the way little village."

"Yeah and a lot of East Blue pirates are just thugs anyways. They don't have the mental brain capacity to try to come up with an elaborate get rich quick scheme," I pointed out. Usopp nodded in agreeance.

"That's right," he said. "So listen up. Pretend this never happened k? This was all just another one of my great big lies." The kids all had dumbfounded expressions on their faces. I laughed. Sorry, they look just so dumbfounded.

"Now I won't force you to but," Usopp continued but he was interrupted.

"No, I can do it!" Carrot confirmed determinedly. "I'll do whatever it takes for the good of the village captain!"

"Yeah me too!" shouted Pepper. Onion pushed his way in as well.

"Me too; my lips are totally sealed I promise!" He exclaimed. They started going on about how they'd be the best at keeping it a secret even going as far as competing with one another. Zoro and I shared a laugh as Usopp asked Kaya the same question. She said she wouldn't tell a soul then Zoro turned to look at me and I could tell we were thinking the same thing. I turned back to Usopp.

"We should go and check to make sure Luffy's not dying of hunger after that fight," I stated jokingly. Although knowing my brother, his fight with Kuro – which he obviously won – probably left him with a craving for meat. I chuckled at the thought.

Usopp nodded and stood up.

"I'll come with you guys," he said. I saw something shift in his eyes. "And I don't think it'll be just this once." I giggled giddily.

"Well then let's go sniper," I said. He nodded then turned back to Kaya.

"You'll be alright now won't you?" he asked. Kaya nodded as she stood up.

"Yes," she agreed. "To be completely honest, this whole experience despite its difficulty has actually made me feel much better than I've felt in a long time. I'll be okay to walk home by myself now." Usopp smiled and nodded at her. He turned to the veggie trio with a smirk.

"You'll help her right?" he asked.

"Heh, do ya even need tuh ask?" questioned Onion. He wiped something from underneath his nose with a grin. The others simply nodded then turned around and took Kaya by her hand. We bid our goodbyes for a while and then Usopp, Zoro and I started heading back to the shore where Luffy and Nami were.

 _"You did well young Allen,"_ she told me as we went. I chuckled in response to her in my head.

 _"Was there ever any doubt?"_ I wondered. I imagined her simply smiling with her eyes closed and shaking her head at my childish response.

* * *

I arrived with the guys at the shore tuckered out. Despite being a weirdo, my opponent hadn't been easy to beat. All the more reason to keep training while we sailed along on our journey.

We arrived to Nami berating Luffy for something. Despite my depleted energy, I ran up to him with as much excitement as I was still capable of.

"Hiya Captain, how was the fight?" I asked cheerily as Nami stopped trying to suffocate him with his hat. He lifted it off his face to look up at me then grinned.

"Piece of cake," he replied. I giggled as I plopped my tired cotton tail down next to him. As I glanced up to the shore below us, I noticed the pirates had left as their ship was gone. The damage done to the landscape was the only proof they'd actually ever been there.

"Huh, would ya look at that," I muttered. "They went n' left their hypnotist passed out in the woods." Luffy just laughed.

"Guess he's in for a rude awakening later." I laughed and nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Zoro was sitting against the cliff while Usopp stood above us. He chuckled with relief as he saw the empty if somewhat destroyed shoreline.

"Thanks guys. I wouldn't have been able to protect the village without you," Usopp told us gratefully.

"Give credit where credit's due," Zoro stated. "If you'd just stood by and done nothing I wouldn't have done anything either."

"Yeah same here," Luffy agreed with a smile. I giggled.

"Who cares about any of that?" Nami demanded happily. "I've got my hands on this sweet, sweet treasure now and I couldn't be happier!" She nuzzled her sac of pilfered treasure and I laughed.

"Hey, ya wouldn't mind if I looked for a mystic in there later would you?" I asked although my tone indicated I'd probably go into it anyway. Usopp laughed at our antics. As he finished, he looked up at the sky with a determined look in his eye.

"Everything that happened here today has helped me," he claimed. "Luffy?" My brother leaned his head back curiously as Usopp turned to him with a smile.

"If ya still need a strong sniper on your crew then I'm your guy!" he declared. Luffy grinned widely.

"Yeah alright!" he agreed. "Then welcome to the crew!" He declared. I threw my hands in the air with a holler of joy and let myself fall back again.

"Woohoo! We've got a sniper!" I shouted to the sky and at that we all started laughing again. When it died down again, we took the time to enjoy the sea breeze coming up the slope.

"Anyways," Usopp said. "If I'm coming with you I guess I should get packing. I also have to say some goodbyes if you wouldn't mind waiting for a bit."

"Take all the time you need," Nami stated. "After all, we still need to find a ship or at least a lead to a place to get a ship." Usopp nodded then thought it through.

"Alrighty then, I'll go look for that too since I promised I would," he told us.

"Right," Luffy agreed then his face became serious again and he developed frown.

"Huh, what's the matter?" Usopp wondered.

"I want meat," he said simply causing Usopp to blink in surprise. I laughed.

"Not a bad idea captain. I could go for something to eat too," I said. Usopp smiled.

"Then by all means, let's go into town and get us all some food. I think we deserve it after a good and courageous fight."

"No arguments here," Zoro declared with a grin. I grinned too.

"Okay!" With that we set off towards the village again.

* * *

It was two days later. We were eating at the only food joint in town again without Usopp since he was still packing at his place having spent the last two days recovering from his wounds and ship searching. We would meet up with him later. We'd decided that since this place was too small, we wouldn't be able to find a suitable ship here so we had Nami checking places on the map for a possible shipyard somewhere in East Blue.

At the moment, Luffy was gnawing on a fish bone and I was picking my teeth with a fish bone from my own plate.

"Now that we're done eating we should get going. We're meet Usopp at the shore," Zoro stated.

"Yeah, you're right," Luffy agreed. Just then the front of the store opened and in walked Kaya. I had to say; she was looking better than when I'd last seen her. She was dressed in some nice bright clothes. She started coming over to us.

"There you are," she exclaimed.

"Hello there Miss.," Luffy greeted with a wave. Nami turned around.

"Are you alright being out of bed?" She asked with some slight concern as Kaya approached our table.

"Yes," she replied. "I think now I can truly start recovering. You see my sickness this last year was caused by the shock of losing both my parents and Usopp's friendship helped me start feeling better. I can't stay in bed forever you know." I smiled up at her.

"Well good for you," I spoke cheerily.

"You've all done so much for me, I can't thank you enough," she continued. "I've prepared a present for you from the bottom my heart to thank you for all you've done for me and this village. I'd be honored if you accept it and…I do have a request as well."

"Request?" queried Luffy. She nodded still smiling.

"I already heard from Usopp that he's joining you all on the high seas," she explained. "So I'd be grateful if you took good care of him. He's a very dear friend to me and I just know he'll do great things someday." Luffy was grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah, no problem. It's gonna be fun!" he exclaimed. I laughed.

"Yeah. Besides, it's often better to sail with good friends," I added. She smiled back at us all. Nami then stood up in the booth.

"Well, we were just on our way down to the shore to meet Usopp. You can tag along if you want." Kaya nodded.

"That's perfect," she claimed. We had all stood up now and were on our way to the front door. She glanced back with a somewhat mischievous smile.

"After all that's where the surprise I have for you is anyways. I also heard from Usopp that you were having some 'transportation' problems." With that she exited. I exchanged an excited glance with Luffy and Nami while Zoro smirked off to the side. Luffy and I raced out after Kaya, almost getting stuck in the door as we attempted to exit at the exact same time. I morphed into my bunny form quickly and got out with a lead on the others, Luffy not too far behind yelling at me to wait up.

Once we reached the shore, our suspicions were clarified. Nami gasped and I was hopping about giddily. Meanwhile, Luffy's mouth was gaping in awe while Zoro's smile grew on his face as he took in the sight. Meanwhile, a man in a black suit with white curly hair and small horns on either side of his head that resembled the figurehead stood before the 'surprise'.

"A real caravel!" Nami exclaimed.

"Are you actually giving this to us?!" Luffy nearly shouted in uncontainable bubbliness.

"So awesome!" I squealed. Kaya giggled.

"Mm-hm; as a token of my appreciation!" she confirmed. As we took it in, the man in the butler suit began describing it for us.

"It's a slightly older model but I personally designed it and she sails like a dream. She is a carvel made caravel with lateen sails and a central stern rudder. She's a fine ship and her name is the Going Merry. Allow me to explain the rigging. First about the Krueger net yard adjustment. It may seem a little brittle…"

"Hold on!" Nami cut him off whilst standing in front of Luffy who was wearing a confused look his face. I don't think my face looked any better.

"You'd be better off just explaining the technical stuff to me!" I laughed at the butler's confused expression.

"That'd probably be best. I don't think Luffy knows anything about ships. And Zoro and I would probably forget it later." Luffy laughed then walked up to near the front of the ship.

"What a cool ship. Have you guys seen the front? It's totally awesome!" he exclaimed. I giggled.

"Welcome to the crew Merry!" I called up to the sheep's head.

"We've loaded it up with all the provisions you might need on a long voyage," Kaya explained.

"Thanks. It leaves nothing to be tired," Luffy said.

"That's nothing to be desired," Zoro corrected him and I laughed. Suddenly though I was cut off as I heard sometime approaching us fast with my acute hearing. I turned towards the slope to see something rolling downhill from the top that was green. I recognized the voice crying out for it to stop.

"Looks like Usopp's here," I pointed out. Nami blinked in astonishment with a bit of sweat dripping down her brow.

"Just what did he pack; a house?" she demanded.

"Hey, what's he doing? Looks fun," said Luffy.

"Well we'd better stop it," Zoro stated. "Our sniper is on a collision course with our boat!"

"On it," I stated. As soon as he was practically on me, I had my foot up alongside Luffy's to stop him. Go figure that his face would land on our feet.

"Ow. Thanks guys!" he said somewhat grateful, somewhat sarcastically.

"Don't mention it," I replied with a smile.

"Any time," Luffy agreed. Once we lowered our feet revealing two different sized red marks on his face, we had to help Usopp lift his giant backpack and bring it on the ship. Finally he and Kaya exchanged a few final farewells before we had to call to him to hurry up. He paused as he approached our ship as if thinking things through then excitedly leapt up into the air.

"This is it!" he cried as he ran towards the rope ladder. "I'm really a pirate captain now!" I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"Don't be stupid Usopp; I'm the captain!" Luffy shouted back at him though he was smiling and laughing too. As Usopp climbed aboard he couldn't seem to sit still for too long.

"Hey ya know what?" I said.

"What?" he asked beside me as Luffy and Zoro worked to unfurl the sails under Nami's guidance.

"If you still wanna be captain you can be. You just have to be captain of your own thing so…you're the captain of all snipers when or if we get new ones later." His eyes brightened.

"R-really?!" he asked. Luffy laughed from up above.

"That sounds like a great idea. You'll be sniper captain, Al will be wizard captain, Zoro can be first mate and sword captain and Nami will be the navigator captain!"

"That sounds pretty stupid to me," Zoro muttered. "Thanks but no thanks. There's only one title I'll accept and that'll be 'world's greatest swordsman' thank you."

"Yeah, I have to agree," Nami nodded while finishing up with the heading. "I'll just stick to my own name and title as the ship's navigator." I giggled.

"I think instead of being called wizard captain, I'll take being called guild master. It's what the leader of a group of wizards is called." Usopp sighed but smiled anyways.

"Well, I can live with being sniper captain for now! No wait…how about…Sniper King?!

"Even better!" I exclaimed with a thumb's up. Usopp got excited and jumped into the air with fist raised.

"Yeah; let's do it guys!" he cheered.

"Yeah!" Luffy and I shouted. After that, Nami made sure we were on the right course and finally while the island disappeared in the distance, Zoro hauled up a barrel of some special drink from below deck. Since Luffy and I had promised not to consume alcohol until my birthday – which is coming up shortly I think – we were going to stick to simple juices and soda for the time being.

It wasn't that I wanted to wait that long, I had just promised big sis Makino, Auntie Dadan, the mountain bandits, Ace, Sabo – and even mayor Whoopslap – that I wouldn't touch a drop of alcohol after our one sake promise until I was fifteen, the age I'd be shortly after Luffy and I first set sail. Meanwhile, booze was no problem for Nami or Zoro but they were mindful to share the same drink as well and everyone agreed that when my birthday arrived it would be like a rite of passage. So for the time being Nami had managed to mix a bunch of fruits' juices together into a green drink for us all to share.

Soon we had mugs of the green juice flowing between us as we celebrated the arrival of out two new crewmates. Usopp our sniper king and Merry our caravel.


	9. SVIII Island of Strange Animals

**_Act I: Scene VIII_**

 ** _Setting Out; Island of Strange Animals_**

* * *

The sun beat down on us as we sailed across the ocean on our new ship. Usopp was playing some kind of made up pirate game – probably still in the mindset that he's still pirating with kids playing pretend – Nami was reading over the sea charts she'd brought with her and Zoro was napping on the deck. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's got narcolepsy like Luffy does.

Meanwhile, it looked like Luffy was trying to paint our pirate flag. That could be a disaster; and I was practicing some of my magic to get better. At the moment I was attempting to…

"I'm finished," Luffy exclaimed suddenly startling both me and Usopp. My spell dropped and I groaned. I turned with a slight pout and scowl on my face.

"This had better be worth messing up my magic practice," I grumbled. Luffy turned around to show us a poorly drawn crossbones and skull with his signature straw hat on the head. I sweated some.

"Look, it's our pirate mark," he claimed. "Now that Usopp's joined we've got five people. That's almost a whole crew! I think it's about time we got our own flag!" A tic mark formed over my brow. Zoro stared at it in absolute shock not knowing what to make of it.

"Uh Luffy…is that really gonna be our mark?" Zoro asked warily. Luffy just chortled gleefully.

"Whadya think? Nice huh?" he asked. Another tic mark formed above my brow.

"Our mark should be scary; it should strike fear into our enemies hearts," Zoro spoke as though he were reciting something. Nami had a thoughtful look.

"If our enemies were terrified infants then this would be perfect," she muttered. Another tic developed over my head. Luffy laughed and that was it. I bounded forth and smacked him upside the head.

"Idiot!" I shouted. "We already agreed you weren't doing the flag. Your drawing skills suck!" I told it to him straight earning a few surprised looks from my fellow crewmates. Luffy rubbed his head even though it hadn't hurt and pouted up at me.

"But your drawing skills aren't any better," complained. "Besides, who else is gonna do it?" A chuckle drew our attention over towards our sniper who was wagging a finger at us as if we were kids who'd asked a fairly easy question thinking it was complicated.

"You guys really should've told me about this," he explained. "Maybe you didn't know this about me but I am an artist!"

"Does that mean you can draw?" questioned Luffy amazed. I gave him a suspicious look.

"Does that mean you can draw well?" I asked, emphasizing the 'well' part. Usopp laughed abruptly.

"When it comes to painting I'm in a league of my own," He bragged. "I've been drawing graffiti for fifty years straight!" He tilted his head up in pride. Meanwhile Luffy took his lie literally and truthfully.

"Woah fifty years?" asked Luffy.

"That would mean he's an old man by now," Zoro added with a smirk. I sniggered as our sniper brought his head down realizing he'd exaggerated.

"Which would give him five or six grandchildren and I don't see em," Nami said.

"Woah back up," I exclaimed. "If that's true then where're his own kids then huh? Are they liars too?" I asked.

"So cool!" exclaimed Luffy still believing it.

"Hey, ya want the flag drawn or not!" he snapped at us to shut us up. Zoro, Nami and I burst into fits of laughter as Usopp blushed. Meanwhile Luffy was asking for names, ages and details on his supposed extra family members.

It didn't take long for Usopp to paint up a pirate flag and I had to admit it looked good but…

"Looks a lot like 'you' on that flag," Luffy grumbled before he and Zoro smacked him upside the head and told him to redo it. A little while later and we had a better version of Luffy's old drawing times ten before us. I grinned and giggled giddily.

"So, how do you like this one?" Usopp asked prideful again.

"Wow, that actually looks pretty good Usopp," Nami exclaimed.

"Definitely better than Luffy's," I stated.

"Yeah, keep it," Luffy agreed not caring that I'd insulted his artwork again. "That's the one!" Zoro smirked.

"So we've finally settled on it; this is gonna be our mark?" Zoro asked.

"Sure is," Luffy replied. "Hey Usopp, draw one on the sail too!"

"Right," the sniper agreed. Before long, we had a giant version of our new mark on the Merry's main sail and two black pirate flags blew in the wind from the crow's nest and the top of the rear mast.

"Okay, it's all done! Now the Going Merry has everything she could possibly need!" Luffy declared proudly as he took in the sight of our pirate mark. Meanwhile Usopp was laid out on the deck exhausted from painting such a large canvas. Some paint cans sat around him and some had gotten on his overalls.

"I think it's the greatest mark ever!" I proclaimed. Usopp gave me a weary thumb's up in thanks. We sailed along for a little while afterwards, feeling the ocean breeze blowing about all around us. I couldn't help but smile and embrace it all. Suddenly though, I sensed a shift in the weather. It was one of the many traits of being part animal. I glanced up to see a few storm clouds approaching in the distance and saw some dark looming form hidden far out beneath them.

"What's that?" I asked. Luffy having heard me came to stand beside me and looked out with a hand shielding his eyes from the sun.

"Are we going the right way?" he wondered. "Seems kinda dangerous." I snorted.

"Like you're worried about danger," I retorted.

"What's that in the water?" wondered Usopp.

"Hold on," Nami stated. We glanced to her as she read the sea charts. Making sure she was right, she grabbed a pair of binoculars and came to stand on the front quarter deck to get a better look.

"That's the place," she confirmed. "Yup there's no doubt about it.

"Hey whadya see out there; is it something cool?" Luffy tried to get a better look and we began to enter the stormy waters.

"The legendary treasure island," Nami said with a smirk back at us. Usopp's eyes widened.

"You mean 'the' treasure island?" he asked in awe. "Even I've heard of that place!"

"Yeah; I'm not surprised," Nami replied. "This place is famous the world over and so are the crazy stories about it." Luffy's eyes brightened.

"What crazy stories?" he asked getting excited for a chance at adventure. I grinned.

"It's said in tales of old that those who even think of approaching near this island will incur the wrath of a god. If their ship is not sunk at sea then they will be forced to endure the brutality of creations so horrifying that one might die from just looking at one!" I cried scaring Usopp with the last of my fable. Some of it was exaggerated but some of it was true – at least to my knowledge anyways. As Usopp whimpered behind Zoro, Luffy let out a hearty laugh.

"Sounds like fun!" he declared enthusiastically. I laughed too. However we weren't laughing for long as we entered the storm and Nami was barking orders at us how to properly handle the ship so it didn't sink. Usopp was crying out the whole time afraid of god's wrath as he worked. Luffy was yelling excitedly about getting to Treasure Island and Nami was just as excited as I was and I think I know why.

Eventually we made it to the shore and were able to drop anchor. Once we got off, it was time to explore and we started walking through the mysterious vegetation. Usopp trembled all the while behind us.

"Hey…this place is creepy," Usopp said weakly after a while. He was still cowering behind Zoro.

"Yeah, so?" Zoro asked indifferently. Usopp gulped. I grinned an evilly bright smile as an idea entered my head.

"It's said that that somewhere on this island rests an unimaginable fortune just waiting to be found. Supposedly many pirates have landed here in the past but they all fled in absolute terror before they even got a chance to look for it," Nami explained.

"Absolute terror?" Luffy asked curiously.

"I'd be afraid to," Nami admitted. "They say that one pirate's face suddenly turned into a boar's face and another pirate's mustache stretched out like a couple of snakes and strangled him.

"But that's not true…right?" Usopp whimpered going blue in the face. Nami shrugged.

"Well I'm sure that some of those stories are a bit of an exaggeration," she reassured.

"Don't talk anymore, you're scaring me," Usopp trembled. I snickered quietly from my hiding place. If he was scared now then he'd be pissing himself next. Suddenly Zoro yawned and claimed he was tired before laying down on the ground next to his swords declaring it nap time. With that he was out like a light. Huh…so he definitely has narcolepsy.

"How can he possibly sleep in such a creepy place?" demanded Usopp.

"He's either dumb or he's got nerves of steel," Nami commented. Suddenly a snapping twig could be heard nearby. He and Nami froze up when they heard it. They looked around cautiously.

"W-what w-was t-that?" Usopp stuttered.

"I don't know," Nami shuddered. They looked about cautiously. They could see Luffy looking at something strange in the woods; Zoro was lying down and sleeping. Meanwhile, they came to realize that someone from their party was missing.

"Hey Usopp…you haven't seen Al around have you?" Nami asked fearfully. Usopp gulped.

"N-no. She just disappeared all of sudden," he replied.

"Eh, I'm sure she's around," Luffy called over his shoulder. Nami turned to him annoyed.

"Don't you even care what happens to your own sister?" she demanded. Luffy shrugged.

"Al can take care of herself," he said simply.

"W-what if she was eaten?" Usopp asked.

"Probably not," Luffy replied. Nami huffed in frustration as she turned away from Luffy.

"Just great!" she shouted. "Al's missing, our swordsman is sleeping and our captain's still an idiot plus our sniper's a coward! How are we supposed to get the treasure now?!"

"I knew that was the only reason you made us come here!" Usopp shouted. A snap sounded from the bush beside them and they froze and turned towards it.

"What's that?" Usopp asked in a tight voice.

"I don't know!" Nami hissed back. The bush they were staring at started to shake and they froze again in terror. They waited and waited for something to pop out and eat them but the bush's shaking died down and the leaves stilled. After waiting for a while more, they sighed out in relief and turned away from it.

"Heh, I was worried for a second there," Usopp stated with a bit of sweat on his brow. Nami laughed nervously too.

"Yeah, I was sure something was in there," she agreed. They continued laughing nervously until the bush starting shaking again and this time a looming presence rose from the shrubbery making them freeze as they sensed it behind them.

"It's probably just an animal," Nami spoke tightly.

"J-just an a-animal," Usopp agreed with his knees knocking together. Gulping, they slowly turned around. As their faces came into view it pounced.

"Rawrgh!" I screamed out ferally. I was in hybrid form, holding up sticks for horns and making my ears stand up straight to make them look sharper and more menacing.

Usopp and Nami screamed in terror as the leapt back away from me and landed on the ground near Luffy as they tried to run away. Usopp began stuttering and listing off reasons why he shouldn't be eaten while Nami was starting to cry. It was just too funny. I fell down laughing my cotton tail off. Luffy was laughing too.

"Man…that was…a good…one," he breathed trying to hold his middle together. I was laughing hysterically on the ground and rolling about.

"I got you…I got you!" I called out over and over again. As they realized it'd only been me, Nami became livid.

"It's not funny!" she screamed. I continued laughing.

"Yes…it is!" I cried out. Nami trembled. The next thing I knew I was getting her fist to my noggin but even as a bump grew on my head I couldn't stop laughing.

"That was really uncool," Usopp pouted. Luffy and I kept laughing. We kept walking for little bit deciding that Zoro could just come and find us when he woke up. Suddenly Usopp screamed again and we all turned to face him. Nami glowered at him.

"What…is it…this time?" she demanded. Usopp shivered but stood upright again but adopted a false cheery disposition.

"Uh what; no I was just making up a little dance to liven things up," he spoke frantically. Then he started to dance about funnily and I shared a look with Nami. Suddenly Usopp tensed up and his eye twitched.

"Huh, hey stop that Al," he said turning around. He didn't see me however. Instead a dog that looked like a cross between a dog and a rooster was licking his hand. I blinked.

"Now that's something ya don't see every day," I commented. Next, a cross between a panda bear and a bat hung down from the trees screeching and screeched at us. I laughed as Nami and Usopp shrieked and fell down on their bottoms. Meanwhile, Luffy stood up from looking at a hybrid of a snake and bunny rabbit.

I sensed more creatures surrounding us and saw the glow of red eyes hidden in the foliage. Nami and Usopp stood up, backing up closer to me and Luffy.

"What's going on?" Nami asked. Usopp quivered next to her and then glared at me.

"This had better not be another one of your illusionist tricks!" he snapped back. Nami also sent a glare my way. I scoffed.

"Oh please, I could come up with something way scarier than this," I told them feeling somewhat offended. It's true too. I'd had to start upping my anti when and Ace and Sabo started growing immune to some of my illusions frightening factors. Meanwhile Luffy had been all too easy and still is. He's not just simple minded, he's gullible. A disembodied voice suddenly pulled me from my thoughts.

"LEAVE NOW!" the voice spoke spooky like.

"Who's there?!" demanded Luffy.

"LEAVE NOW!" the voice repeated.

"Guys, where is that voice coming from?" Nami hissed fearfully while keeping her guard up.

"I AM THE VENGEFUL ISLAND GOD. LEAVE NOW IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIVES."

"Island God?" wondered Luffy.

"He doesn't sound like a god," I muttered. I rolled my eyes as I began to listen for where this 'god' might be.

"WAIT, YOU GUYS ARE PIRATES RIGHT?"

"Well yeah," Luffy replied.

"I KNEW IT!" the voice grunted. My ear twitched towards one direction.

"Why would a god need to ask something like that?" Nami demanded.

"I DUNNO; I MEAN…TAKE ONE MORE STEP INTO THE FOREST! THE INSTANT YOU DO YOU WILL INSTANTLY RECEIVE MY DIVINE PUNISHMENT AND MEET YOUR DOOM WHICH IS YOUR PUNISHMENT! WAIT UH…"

"Okay, that made no sense at all," Luffy stated furrowing his brows. I cocked one of my own.

"What gave that away? His bad grammar or the question?" Luffy shrugged at my sarcastic remark.

"I dunno, both I guess," he tried to answer. I just shook my head at his naivety.

"This guy is weird," Nami commented.

"Yeah what's his deal anyway?" wondered Luffy.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY…STRAW HAT BOY?" the voice demanded threateningly. Suddenly a horde of different weird animals came out of the darkness to show we were in fact surrounded. Instead of just relying on my ears I started to use my nose as I shifted into my bunny form. I hopped away from our group inconspicuously avoiding all of the weird looking animals while the voice responded to Usopp wondering what the animals even were.

"THEY USED TO BE HUMANS," he told him. I snorted to myself. That was a lie. I could smell that much at least and I knew the difference between humans and animals. "THEY CAME LOOKING FOR TREASURE BUT ALL THEY FOUND WAS MY WRATH." The supposed 'god' finished.

"You transformed them? So then you are a god," I heard Usopp groveling.

"Look at all these weird things. What's this a pig?" I heard my brother ask. Nami suggested it could be a lion and I heard as the animal bit Luffy's face. I sighed. While my brother has some way with animals, he still needs to learn the universal rule of personal space.

"YOU STRETCHY FREAK OF NATURE; WHAT ARE YOU?!" demanded the voice of the god which was getting closer the more I followed the sound. Luffy was quick to respond with his rubber man spiel. The god scoffed and told him he didn't believe him stating that he'd heard the same stupid stories back when he was a pirate.

As the others began to call him out on his slip up I watched as what looked like a bush-man used some kind amplifying megaphone to project his voice. When Nami accused him of being a faker he started to unleash his so called wrath on the others. I meanwhile snuck up on him from behind and shifted into my hybrid form. Just as he was about to shoot Luffy I sprung up holding him I the air above my head and grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey guys check it out; I found a bushman in a box!" I exclaimed. He started struggling and cursing at me. I shook him once making him drop his gun on the ground.

"Put me down damn it!" the man demanded. I giggled.

"Nope, don't wanna," I replied. Nami came up and picked up the gun he'd dropped. She snorted and cocked an eyebrow at him with a sly smirk growing on her face.

"What's this; a pistol?" she wondered. "Even mortals know that bullets don't hurt rubber men." Luffy frowned as I walked over to them.

"Maybe not but I still hate em," he grumbled. The 'island god' continued to struggle.

"Hey c'mon put me down!" he demanded more whiny now. I hummed in thought.

"Not unless you say the magic words," Luffy told him with a wide grin. I laughed.

"Okay, okay, Please will you put me down!?" I laughed as I continued to hold him up high.

"Nope, those aren't the magic words," I teased. Usopp furrowed his brows at me.

"Then what are the magic words? I thought they were please and thank you." Luffy and I burst into simultaneous laughter. Nami didn't look to be in the mood for our games.

"What's so funny?!" she demanded.

"Pirates don't say please and thank you unless they want to," I told her.

"Yeah, the magic word is and always will be meat!" My brother clarified. I know it sounds ridiculous but I obviously wasn't the one who'd come up with it.

"Okay, meat, meat, I'm sayin' meat!" The man shouted as he squirmed. I chuckled as I finally set him down and he took a few seconds to compose himself before he darted off in the other direction.

"See ya sucker's" he bellowed. Some of the animals started to follow after him and we all exchanged a look. Then with a silent agreeance we followed after him. It didn't take long to find him again as he'd apparently run right into a tree and had fallen down. Now he was having trouble getting back up again like how a turtle would on its back. But even a turtle wasn't as pathetic looking as this.

We all approached and stood over him looking down until he noticed us, froze and averted his eyes.

"Jeez, I can't believe I was scared of you," Nami commented flabbergasted. I smirked.

"You were scared of me too," I reminded her. This earned me another bump on my head between my ears. Back to the topic at hand…we watched as he struggled again pitifully then he let out a gruff sigh.

"Could you please help me up?" he asked. This time we helped him up without him having to say the word meat.

"Sheesh, if I'd know this was what amounted to a god I wouldn't have been so panicked earlier," grumbled Usopp. Luffy just laughed.

"He looks like a scrub brush," he giggled. I rolled my eyes.

"No way, he's obviously a bushman that lives inside of a box," I argued. However, we didn't have much time to worry about that as he started running from us again.

"I'll let ya off with a warning this time!" he called.

"No wait!" Luffy said grabbing onto the edge of the box. The man didn't get so far until he was struggling against Luffy's strong grip from his stretched out hand. Luffy grinned thinking he had him until the man pulled him harder and he was pulled after him, his rubber arm recoiling as it brought the rest of my brother with it. He collided with the bush man and they went flying over the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean with the box man screaming the whole way.

I exchanged glances with Nami and Usopp before we ran after them and peered over the cliff, my crewmates calling out my brother's name as he fell with the man. He latched his hand onto a branch or tree root sticking out of the side of the cliff and stopped their descent as the man almost touched the water.

The next thing we knew we were watchin as once again Luffy's stretchy limbs recoiled and he and the box man were shot up into the sky. The three of us exchanged looks again. This was turning out to be a really interesting day.

* * *

Nami put a bandage of the nasty bump on the guy's head and smiled as she pulled back and stood straight.

"There, you're all set now," she stated. The rooster dog and lion pig both started licking the guy and even though he tried to remain stoic and grumpy with us, his cheeks still heated up in embarrassment and gratitude.

"You're a pretty popular guy Mr. Island God," Nami commented with a smile. I laughed.

"So let me get this straight," Usopp said, running through the information we'd already been given by the supposed island god. "These crazy animals helped you scare off the pirates that came to this place looking for treasure?"

"Never seen a person stuffed inside a treasure chest before," Luffy commented completely blowing past Usopp's earlier question. "You're a real live jack in the box!" The man sighed and bowed his head.

"Yes, ironically in fact I am in a box and my name is…YOU IDIOT! I'M A PERSON NOT A TOY!" I've been stranded alone on this island and stuck in this contemptable box for twenty years!" I elbowed my brother in annoyance at his comment.

"Luffy he can't be a Jack-in-the-box. He's not a clown or a jester!" I pointed out. I remember because I had a jack-in-the-box as a kid – a really big ass one mind you though that's hardly important – and I don't remember him looking anything like this man right here. Besides, Jack-in-the-box's have handles on the side for you to wind up and wait for the surprise to pop out. They're also annoyingly colourful and have that annoying song that plays before the stupid thing even pops up.

"That long!" Nami exclaimed her eyes widened. Meanwhile, Usopp had sat himself down on his knees, opened his bag and pulled out a thermos. The others and I watched him curiously as he made like some kind of sage, unscrewed the cap, poured whatever was inside into the lid and took a dramatic drink before letting out a breath. Then he turned towards the man with a look of astonishment on his face.

"So you've been all alone on this island for twenty years; amazing!" he exclaimed. The man in the box sighed heavily and I tore my gaze from wondering about Usopp's antics to looking back at him.

"Yeah," he grunted. "Just take a look at me. I've got a beard like a wild man. And in all that time, you're the first people that I've had a real conversation with. Can you understand how painful that is?" he demanded in a shaky voice. I remained silent, unable to help thinking about a time long ago in the past.

A little girl played by herself in a room full of many toys and a supposed cheerful atmosphere; basically any other kid the world's dream room. But for all of the toys she had and the wild imagination she possessed, she still could not change the fact that there was nobody to talk to. Her parents were always too busy or weren't in the mood to have anything to do with her and all of the house servants would walk on eggshells around her, too afraid to speak openly; afraid that she'd turn on them and get them in trouble; fired or worse. It was for that reason that every time she was forced to play alone; all by herself; she would wind up crying because of how utterly and hopelessly alone she felt.

Yes; I understood what he was talking about. I smiled a rather tight smile at the bitter memory I had conjured but refused to let a tear fall. Things weren't like that anymore and that little girl had died a long, long time ago.

"Yes," I said simply in reply to his question. "I have an idea." I could feel the questioning gazes from Nami and Usopp. Luffy just blinked.

"That's ridiculous," he finally said. The box man got mad as he realized he was the one he was talking about.

"What'd you say?" he demanded. Luffy just turned to him and I raised my head questioningly at my older brother.

"I said that's ridiculous," Luffy told him again. "You haven't been completely alone all these years have you? These animals obviously don't think so." The man looked down guiltily and I smiled.

"Well…I guess not but…it's not like they can talk back to me," he said. I chuckled and rolled my eyes at him.

"So what?" I asked. "That doesn't mean they aren't good listeners. Besides, I can sense they really enjoy your company and the same goes for you with them." The man blinked before he smiled at me. He nodded.

"Yeah; I guess you're right," he agreed. Suddenly we were pulled from our thoughts as we heard a long drawn out yawn and the crunch of feet on the ground. We looked up to see Zoro walking our way, his eyes semi-opened and looking like he'd just woken up early in the morning or something.

"Ah, oh hey there you are. I've been lookin' all over for you guys," he groaned whilst scratching the back of his head. Nami's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Ugh, how could you have just slept through everything that's just happened?!" she demanded. Zoro ignored her in favor of taking Usopp's drink and going to sit down on a nearby rock. Luffy just laughed.

"Probably cuz he's a narclops like me," he said cheerfully. Nami raised a brow at him and Usopp gave him an odd look as I sighed and shook my head.

"Narcoleptic," I corrected him once again. He just giggled.

"Oh right; that," he said. He was going to forget it again though no matter what I told him. I rolled my eyes at him. At least Usopp and Nami seemed to understand what we were talking about. Suddenly Zoro yelled and fell of his rock with wide eyes.

"Ah, what the heck is that?!" he demanded looking right at the bushman. I quirked an eyebrow at him while Nami gave him a disbelieving yet annoyed look.

"He finally sees him," she muttered. Luffy just smile and gestured to the bushman.

"Check it out, he's in a treasure chest," he said, pointing out what he thought was the coolest part of the man. Personally I like his green afro. It's super cool. Zoro's brows furrowed but his eyes remained wide.

"Like a Jack-in-the-box…but real," he exclaimed seemingly catching on. I rolled my eyes at him.

"How rude Zoro," I reprimanded him as the bushman did his bit from earlier before shouting at Zoro's incompetence. Then Luffy got the bright idea for him and Zoro to try and pull the poor man out of the box with the man protesting and the boys not making much progress.

"They're gonna tear his head off if they keep that up," Usopp commented. I hummed.

"Huh, wish I knew a spell for something like this," I spoke to myself and earning a look from Usopp and Nami. Not that they'd actually seen my amazing magical skills before; they'd just heard me claim to be a wizard and that was it. The only thing they've seen from me so far is my incredible fighting skills and bunny girl transformations.

"Sorry I'm afraid you're stuck," Luffy told the man once he and Zoro had given up.

"Don't be stupid!" the little man yelled. "I've been stuck inside this blasted treasure chest for so many years now that it's slowly become a part of my body! If you try to break it you'll break my body too!"

"You're a strange little man," Zoro commented off handedly. I laughed and shook my head at how similarly simple minded Zoro could be to Luffy sometimes. Luffy's like ten times worse though. The little man just huffed and slouched back into his box whilst giving us an annoyed look.

"Alright guys enough about me; what about you," he asked.

"No!" I said. He cocked an eyebrow at me. "You haven't told us your name yet. I don't just wanna keep callin' ya bushman," I told him honestly. He sighed again.

"Fine, the name's Gaimon," he told me. "Now you." I nodded in approval and smiled.

"I'm Bunny D. Allen and I'm a wizard!" he blinked at me. Before he could ask me more questions though, my brother took over.

"I'm Luffy. I'm gonna be king of the pirates!" Suddenly Gaimon's eyes widened as he stared at my brother in shock.

"You're what?!" he demanded.

"I'm gonna get the one piece and then I'm gonna be king of the pirates," Luffy continued. Gaimon's eyes remained blown wide.

"The one piece?! Don't tell me you idiots are actually gonna sail on the grand line."

"Yup, we got a chart right here," he said pulling out the chart. I immediately snatched it from him and he pouted.

"Didn't I tell you," I scolded. "You're not allowed to handle the sea charts." He pouted up at me.

"Big meanie," he mumbled.

"Don't be such a fool!" Gaimon yelled at us. "The Grand Line's a graveyard. I once saw a group of pirates who had managed to escape from that horrible place and I'll never forget it. It was an awful sight. They were just the hollow shells of the men that used to be. There's no telling what horrors they witnessed in that gastly place. Not one among them even tried to speak." By this point we'd all formed a circle around him to hear his tale. Luffy leaned further forward to hear him better, hanging onto every word.

"Now listen to me well you young pirates. The rumors of the One Piece spawns more rumors; who knows what's true. It's been only twenty odd years since the start of the great pirate era and the one piece is already a dream within a dream beyond a legend." I unfurled the map I had taken from my brother.

I was by no means a navigator but I could look at this map and know what's what. Gaimon came over to me, looking over my shoulder curiously.

"So which one of these is the grand line?" he wondered. I pointed to the place on the map where it was clearly labeled. He blushed and turned away indignantly. Luffy managed to snatch back the map again.

"Hey!" I protested. He looked at it enthusiastically.

"Nope; still don't know how to read a sea chart," he said absentmindedly. Gaimon had been looking at the map again with him this time and nodded.

"Yeah, same here," he said. They shared a glanced before they started laughing about it. Nami just shook her head at their idiocy as I snatched back the map.

"Ignorance is bliss isn't?" she muttered. "Anyway even if we do somehow make it to the Grand Line, the best idea would be to get as much treasure as we can and then escape." I snorted at her and tried to stifle my giggles. She sent a glare at me.

"What?" she demanded. I just shrugged.

"Oh nothing just…do you honestly think it'll be that easy?" I asked her teasingly. "I mean one does not simply go to the grand line, steal treasure then return. They call it the pirate's graveyard for a reason ya know; cuz pirates head there thinking they'll be able to handle anything she throws at em because their egos are bigger than their ambitions. You realize that not every pirate crew even makes through the entrance let alone the first half right?" She just growled at me.

"Oh yeah and how do you know so much about it?" she asked. I smiled.

"Cuz I've been before. Back when I was a little kid. But this time, I'll get to do things my way." I replied. She gave me a questioning look and she and Usopp seemed relatively surprised. Gaimon looked surprised to.

"You've actually sailed on the Grand Line before?" he asked in awe. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Yeah but I never really got the choice of going where I wanted. It was just a trip from one place to the other and besides I wasn't even allowed above deck. It sucked. But this time things will be different. We'll go to the grand line, have a lot of great adventures and…

"And find the one piece!" my brother shouted jovially. I grinned.

"And find the one piece!" I repeated him. Then we started to laugh. Nami just rolled her eyes at us.

"Just where do you get all of that confidence of yours from anyways?" she wondered idly. I laughed.

"You'd be surprised," I told her. She just shook her head at us.

"Whatever you say," she replied simply. I stood up with a fiery passion burning in my eyes.

"Yeah! Luffy's gonna find the one piece and become pirate king; Zoro's gonna be the world's greatest swordsman; Usopp's gonna be the best sniper; Nami will become the world's greatest navigator I…Bunny D. Allen will become the greatest wizard of all time and collect every last mystic in this entire world!"

"Yup we're gonna do it!" Luffy confirmed. He and I laughed and Zoro smirked behind us while Nami and Usopp smiled. Meanwhile Gaimon just stared at as all in what could only be awe. No rather he was staring souly at Luffy in awe. He gasped suddenly.

"You're me," he whispered in near disbelief. Our laughter die down and we gave him curious looks. He shook his head. "You're exactly like me; you even look like me; we could be twins!" he exclaimed. We exchanged glances.

"How can you say he looks like you?" demanded Nami. Luffy and I waited for his answer and explanation.

"Young man, I understand about the pursuit of your dreams," he declared. "When I was a younger man we used to feel the same way!"

"Whadya mean we?" asked Luffy. I gasped in realization.

"You said you used to be a pirate," I said. He nodded.

"We were willing to put our lives on the line to search for treasure. It was that single minded seal that changed the course of my life forever!"

"Wait, slow down what're you talking about?" Nami tried to make sense of what Gaimon was saying but instead Gaimon just plowed into his story.

"It happened twenty years ago. I was a much younger man then. My fellow pirates and I landed on this island with a single purpose. To find the treasure that was said to rest here. Two hundred men have searched for an entire month and nothing has been found; our captain says. The only treasure chest we've uncovered is empty. Pack up men we're leaving.

"The men pack up but I am drawn to a tall rock formation wondering if anyone has had the brains to look up top. I knew the captain had stayed on the ground the whole month. So I started climbing. I just had to see for myself if there was anything up there.

"I couldn't believe my own eyes. Hah, I found it I proclaimed and called for the rest of my crew that it was up there. Hey you guys! I tried to call again but the rock I was holding onto came loose and I fell and fell and fell until I finally landed and that's how I got stuck in this chest. When I came to, my crew was already far out to sea. But hey, I had an epiphany. If they were gone then that would mean that the entire fortune would belong to me.

"I tried to climb the rock face again but came to a horrifying realization. I couldn't climb like this, I was stuck in this box. I tried to call out to my crew to come back but by then it was already too late." We were left in silence for a bit.

"Woah," Luffy, Usopp and I said together. Gaimon sighed.

"And after all this time, the fortune I found but only saw for an instant has never strayed far from my lonely old mind. Pirates have come here countless times to search for my treasure but fortunately my friends here helped me scare them away. That's how I've kept my treasure safe and sound for the past twenty years." He then gave us all a warning yet determined look. "It's my treasure!" he claimed. Luffy nodded.

"No question," he agreed.

"It's definitely yours," I finished his thought. Nami smirked beside me.

"You know, I think we can help you out," she offered. "Gaimon, why don't we get the treasure down for you?" I brightened up at that.

"That's a great idea!" I exclaimed. Gaimon's eyes widened as he gasped and looked to Luffy.

"Wait, do you mean it?" he asked. Luffy nodded.

"Yeah," he said. Usopp gave Nami and me a look – mostly to Nami though.

"Nami," he said warningly. Luffy turned to her.

"Hey aren't you a thief that only steals from pirates?" he wondered. Nami frowned at him.

"How rude!" she snapped at them. "I may be a thief but I have a conscience!" Then she turned back to Gaimon who was starting to tear up. Now it was my turn.

"Hey Gaimon?" I asked. He turned to me, looking grateful for our help.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked. I smiled at him.

"Do you think once we bring it down I could look through your treasure to see if I can find a mystic?" I asked. He blinked.

"A mystic?" he questioned. I nodded and help up my compass.

"Like this. They look ordinary at first glance but possess their own power and life force. Whenever they get near one another they glow. I'm trying to collect as many mystics of the world as I can in order to accomplish my dream of becoming a great wizard. You don't have to say yes but I'll ask anyway. If I find a mystic in your treasure could I have it?" I waited for him to respond to my question. He laughed and nodded making me smile.

"Sure, why not," he said. "After all, I doubt I'd know what to do with it anyways. But the rest is mine okay?" I laughed and nodded.

"Sure thing!" I agreed. Luffy stood up exuberantly throwing his fists in the air.

"Great then let's go!" he shouted.

* * *

Moments later after having had a ride on one of Gaimon's friends – a cow turtle – we arrived at the base of the rock formation he had found the treasure atop of. I looked up at the top.

"It's here?" asked Luffy. Gaimon nodded.

"Yes this is the place," he confirmed. "It's all up there." I smiled and grew giddy at the prospect that I might be getting another mystic today. We all smiled for him.

"The time has finally come," he claimed. "It's a great day. Get to it Straw Hat!" Luffy readied himself.

"Sure thing," he said. Then he shot his arm up towards the top of the rock formation with a cry of his signature 'Gum-Gum Rocket' before he blasted off into the air and reached the top of the rock.

"Awesome," Usopp declared in awe. I giggled. It was only natural that our Sniper would be amazed still by Luffy's incredible abilities. I only wish I could tell him to be prepared to have his mind blown more than once. But then that would ruin the fun.

We waited for a few minutes after Luffy landed and continued to stare up at the top of the rock. Gaimon grew excited after a few more minutes passed.

"Hey the chests, you see?" he called up. There was no answer and I tilted my head in confusion.

"What the hell is he up to?" wondered Zoro. I just shrugged.

"With my brother, it could really be anything," I told him nonchalantly. Nami cupped her hands around her mouth beside me and started shouting up.

"Hey!"

"Hey Luffy!" Usopp joined in.

"What's going on?!" Nami continued. I wished he'd hurry up and answer. I'm sitting on pins and needles. Finally Luffy came into view at the edge of the rock holding something in his arms.

"I found em," he called down. "Six treasure chests!" Gaimon's face broke into one of pure excitement and joy.

"Yes, good work!" he called up and laughed. "Now it's mine! I've got my treasure. C'mon toss it down I wanna see it! Go ahead and toss it down boy, let's have a look at it!" I could tell by the way my brother took a moment to answer that something was up.

Luffy looked down at us all with a wide grin on his face.

"No way!" he said simply. At first I was surprised. Meanwhile, everyone else was utterly shocked.

"No way?!" demanded Gaimon.

"I don't wanna," Luffy replied simply. "Sucks for you." Understanding dawned on me as I put the puzzle pieces together in my own head.

"Aw man," I whined. "What a letdown!" My obvious comment went completely over the others heads.

"What kind of crap is that Luffy?" Nami demanded. "Give the man his gold!

"You ass! That treasure belongs to Gaimon and you know it!" Usopp yelled. "Toss it all down now!" I rolled my eyes at them. Some people are just dense. Luffy just remained quiet after that and I glimpsed over to see if Zoro would try and demand him to throw it all down too. I was intrigued to see that he was actually trying to wrap his head around what Luffy was actually up to. Huh, if we keep going like this, he and Luffy might actually be able to read each other's minds – you know figuratively speaking.

"Hey, I'm not joking around mister!" Nami yelled. Meanwhile, Gaimon sighed and looked down.

"It doesn't matter," he claimed. "It's alright."

"It's not alright!" Nami snapped back perplexed.

"Gaimon, you've been guarding that treasure with your heart and soul for the past twenty years!" Usopp reminded him. Gaimon began to tremble and I felt kind of sorry for little guy.

"Straw Hat," he grunted out. "You're a great guy!" With that, the water works started and Gaimon's voice was wavering with emotion. Nami blinked.

"Whadya mean he's great?" she asked. I smiled and shook my head.

"Simple," I said, getting hers and Usopp's attention. "Gaimon's been guarding this place for twenty years with his animal friends. And all this time…there was nothing even there." They blinked in confusion. Gaimon sniffled.

"I…I always had an inkling that this might be the case," he admitted. "I tried not to think about it but still…" he trailed off and shuddered. "Eh they're empty!" he exclaimed. Nami's and Usopp's eyes widened in realization and surprise.

"Yup, every last one of em," Luffy told him. Nami looked down in sympathy for the man.

"How sad. The treasure that he guarded for twenty years was just a bunch of empty boxes," she muttered under her breath. Gaimon continued to weep at the tragic loss of potential gold.

"It happens all the time with treasure that have maps leading to them." he sniveled. "Ya set out on a quest to find it but someone else got to it first. That's the kind of risk you have to take when you're a treasure hunting pirate. You can waste a whole lifetime searching and never once touch treasure. Plenty of pirates live like that, believe me!" I thought it over in my head.

"Meh, I figure it just depends what you think treasure really is," I stated. He glanced up at me curiously then I laughed out loud as I realized something causing him to frown at me.

"What?" he demanded.

"Well hey, at least we came along," I pointed out. "If we hadn't you could've very well spent the rest of your life guarding empty boxes never even knowing it!" I continued laughing with my brother joining in.

"Yeah, no kidding," he agreed. Gaimon looked between me and brother his face becoming one of happiness.

"Oh Straw Hat," he cried out.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Luffy suddenly declared. Usopp gasped.

"Is he…" he trailed off.

"Since this treasure hunt's a bust," he exclaimed, "You're gonna need something else to fill your time. Why don't you join up with us and search for the One Piece?" More tears seemed to fall from Gaimon's already cheerfully relieved face.

"What; really?" he asked surprised. "You're asking me? Oh! I know how I must look to you. Other people wouldn't even speak to me but you're kind. It's been so many years since I've had a friend." He continued to cry and I grinned.

"Well count yourself lucky," I told him. "Cuz now you've got five." He cried even louder at that.

"Thank you!" he cried out gratefully.

* * *

As the sun began to set beyond the horizon we all stood by the Going Merry getting ready to disembark from the island. Gaimon had come to send us off.

"Are you sure you want to stay on this island Gaimon?" questioned my brother. Gaimon just smiled back at us.

"Yes I'm sure," he responded confidently. "There's something here far more valuable than treasure that I feel I must protect."

"Huh?" wondered Nami.

"Worth more than gold?" asked Usopp. Gaimon smiled at us as his animal friends came out of the trees and surrounded him. I smiled at the scene. In my opinion, Gaimon hadn't just been wasting his years here. He'd been here with these animals and they'd been here for him. They were a family now and a family was definitely worth more than gold ever could be.

"For the past twenty years, these guys have stood by my side through thick and thin. I can't leave em!" In response to his statement, the lion pig and rooster dog began to lick his face with affection. He laughed as their tongues tickled his cheeks. When he was given room to speak again he looked more livelier than ever.

"Now that I know there's no treasure here I somehow feel more free," he told us. "Without that heavy burden I can concentrate on the things that really matter to me. And besides, after all these years I've grown fond of this little box." Luffy smirked at him and nodded, accepting his decision.

"Too bad," he claimed. "You're a neat guy; pretty cool for a scrub-brush."

"The weird creatures here are your true friends," Zoro stated.

"Yup," Luffy a said. "And he's the weirdest of them all."

"Excuse me?!" Gaimon demanded angrily though it was half-hearted. I giggled.

"Hah, like you're one to talk captain," I scolded my brother playfully. He just chortled and then we were all laughing at the little joke. Afterwards, Gaimon held us back for a bit and gave us some of his homemade liquor he'd invented while on the island. Zoro told him would be put to good use. He also let me take the empty treasure chests with me. Nami asked what I'd need them for and I told her that she'd see. She'd left it at that.

Soon we were all on the Merry and pulling back out to sea. The waves were much calmer now that the storm from earlier that day had vanished to make way for a beautiful sunset. As we pulled out, we stood a the back of the ship waving goodbye to our newest friend.

"See ya! Take care okay!?" Luffy called out.

"Bye Gaimon!" Nami chimed in.

"We'll come visit after we get the one piece, promise!" I shouted.

"Count on it!" Luffy clarified. Soon we were too far away to see Gaimon and his animal friends anymore. Our course determined by our navigator, we sailed into a glorious sunset towards our next great adventure.


	10. SIX How to Treat a Lady on the Sea

The sun was set high up in the sky and once again everyone was left to their own devices. Zoro of course was sleeping, Nami was reading in a lawn chair, Usopp was tinkering with something and I was working on my magic yet again. Meanwhile Luffy was below deck exploring the storeroom.

Before leaving Gaimon's island I had filled up two of the six treasure chests with dirt. Oddly enough, nobody had questioned me at the time – Luffy for the obvious reason that he already knew. I had just received odd looks from the others but that was okay.

Now that I had some dirt to practice with it became a little clearer what I had gathered it for. I sat on the deck with my earth aura activated around me and had it extended to the dirt in the treasure chest. I remained focused as I moved my aura and therefore the dirt it was attached to about in the air, the trick being not to let any piece of it fall.

My grandparents had taught me this exercise. They told me that if I couldn't learn to control the way my earth aura could move any form of earth in my vicinity regardless of where I was then I would be at a major disadvantage should I be facing an opponent that could. It didn't matter what element it was I was controlling, I'd be much more efficient in a fight if I could maintain that control. I hadn't had much opportunity practicing my earth aura control without being around actual earth while growing up but knowing I'd be setting out to sea with my brother when the time came, prompted me to do my best.

Sometimes I would climb on the roof of the bandit shack and practice there or I would climb up into the treehouse which was fairly high above ground to practice while Luffy and Ace would either watch or play pirates while I did so.

Now that I was actually out to sea, I would have to practice every chance I got so I'd be ready for the future. True I could learn other elements but first I had to properly master my own before I could even try moving on to the next one.

So here I was practicing, manipulating my aura to make the dirt in its grasp do what I willed it to do. At some point I vaguely noticed Usopp's curious gaze on my work, his face being one of pure awe and admiration.

"That's so cool," he breathed out. I chuckled to myself and remained focused.

"Thanks," I replied.

"So that's why you brought dirt with you isn't it?" he asked. I nodded.

"Seems a bit much considering how much you're actually using," Nami commented. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Out on the sea I'm not as close to the earth and so my earth manipulation magic will be weaker until I can master strengthening my abilities to account for not actually being grounded. I brought a lot of dirt so I could practice until I can manipulate all of it. The bigger the amount, the better chances I stand in a fight on the high seas. My grandmother even told me once that true masters of their elemental aura can actually produce the element from their aura without needing it from its original source." I heard Usopp whistle impressed.

"Sounds like it takes a lot of mental energy," he commented. I nodded.

"And a lot of physical and spiritual energy too. That's why my grandmother taught me martial arts before I could learn my first spells. I also had to learn meditation practices too. Then I had to practice them by myself whenever I was at home." I sensed them nodding in understanding.

"So you can learn other elements too right?" Usopp asked excitedly. I grinned.

"Yup. After learning Earth I'll be able to unlock whatever my second elemental aura is and then practice with that as well. Then there are the sub elements attached to the four core ones and it's important to try and learn them all since some mystics require specific elemental auras to activate them." I could imagine that Usopp's eyes had stars in them. Pretty much the same reaction Luffy had when I'd told him and Ace what I'd already learned.

"Wow, so cool!" he exclaimed. "I wonder if I could learn something like that!" I laughed as I made the dirt twist around like a snake again.

"That depends how committed you'd be to learning. You'd have to get stronger physically, mentally and spiritually like I did and even then that's just the beginning. Not everyone can control aura like wizards can. I'm just lucky I guess!" Usopp pouted some but that didn't last for long.

We were all interrupted – save for Zoro – as something heavy landed on the top of the stairs to the quarter deck. I let my aura drop the dirt as we all turned to see Luffy wiping some sweat from his brow.

"Phew, sucker's heavy," he said casually.

"What the hell is that?" Nami demanded having been startled from her reading. I eyed the words 'danger' written on the sides of the box. Luffy smiled at her.

"Found it in the storage room!" he proclaimed. Nami leaned in closer, her eyes widening.

"It's a crate full of cannon balls," she stated. Luffy nodded then pointed at the cannon on deck.

"I figured since we have our own cannon now we could get in some target practice," he suggested with a shrug. Usopp hummed in excitement.

"Just leave the cannoning to me," he declared looking mighty impressed with himself before delving into a story telling mode. "I harken back to the time I was three years old and jumped on a passing cannonball riding it halfway around the world…"

"He's not listening," I told him as he rambled on and Luffy stood over by the cannon trying to figure it out.

"So how do you work this thing," he muttered to himself with Usopp snapping at him to listen. I rolled my eyes at our sniper's bad lying and stood up approaching the cannon.

"Obviously you put the cannonball in first," I told him as I arrived beside him. He hummed as he picked up a cannonball from the box and looked at it.

"Huh okay," he said before turning and placing the ball into the mouth of the cannon allowing it to roll down the barrel until it hit the end. He scratched his head.

"Now what?" he asked. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Light the fuse and see what happens?" I ponder. "Then again maybe we should shoot it somewhere where we can actually hit something and by 'we' I mean Usopp." Luffy pouted at me.

"Aw, how come I'm not allowed to shoot it?" he whined. I gave him a deadpan look and crossed my arms.

"Considering it took you ten years to figure out how to finally throw a straight punch after getting your rubber powers, I think my reasons are justified when I say, you suck at aiming." He simply pouted at me as Usopp got up and came over.

"Meanie," he pouted.

"Hey c'mon, we can let him shoot at least one right?" Usopp offered. I looked at him and thought it over. I sighed as I relented.

"Fine, but just one," I said. Luffy's face lifted immediately and he was bouncing around cheering.

"Hey ya hear that Zoro?" he asked the sleeping swordsman. "I'm gonna shoot the cannon! Woohoo!" Zoro remained asleep and unresponsive.

"Asleep," Nami deadpanned. "The guy sleeps constantly." I giggled.

"Yeah well that's what happens when you're narcoleptic," I told her. She simply rolled her eyes at my reasoning and pulled out her sea charts. After scanning them for a bit she spoke up.

"You know, just to the south of here is a reef that would make for some excellent target practice," she pointed out. Luffy was beaming with excitement.

"Then let's go; for real guys!" he cheered. I laughed as he and Usopp started talking excitedly about firing the cannon for the first time. I couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement myself. So as Nami directed the two boys with the steering, I packed up my practice dirt and took it back downstairs into the girl's cabin that I shared with Nami.

In no time at all, we'd made it to the reef Nami had directed us too and Usopp and Luffy were excitedly prepping the cannon. Usopp allowed Luffy to fire the first shot once he thought he'd gotten the trajectory right. There was the bang and buck of the cannon then the whistling of the cannonball through the air before it landed with a loud heavy splash way off target of the reef.

"That was way off the mark," Luffy commented and I snorted.

"Again, your aim sucks," I told him. I heard a grunt behind and above me with the creaking of wood.

"Hey what's so loud down there," Zoro demanded having been woken from his nap.

"Cannon firing practice," Luffy clarified. He furrowed his brows. "But it's not going very well."

"What part of your aim sucks don't you comprehend?" I wondered. Usopp meanwhile just shook his head with a big grin on his face.

"Alright now it's my turn," he declared. "Let the expert aim the thing and you'll all see why I'm the sniper king of the Going Merry!" He walked up to the cannon after loading another ball into it and began to maneuver it so it was aimed differently than last time.

"Judging by the flying distance of the last one, this should do it," he proclaimed. Then he fired the cannon and the cannonball hit its mark dead center, destroying the upper most part of the reef. I cheered for him alongside Luffy.

"Awesome, you hit that thing on your first try," he stated obviously. "You're definitely our sniper king!" Meanwhile Usopp seemed somewhat shocked he'd actually hit it – probably because it was the first time he'd fired a cannon. However, he shook himself out of his stupor and started to brag about his apparent success.

Before long we'd all gathered in the galley slash lounge area – really we weren't entirely sure what to call it since it was all connected – for some lunch. It consisted of fruits and sandwiches I'd put together with what we had – since I'd learned a thing or two from big sis Makino and the cooks that had served my grandparents. Basically there was no way in hell I was letting Luffy touch the kitchen, something Nami backed me up on wholeheartedly.

It was as we were winding down from our little lunch that Luffy hummed in thought.

"You know guys, I was thinking…" he started.

"That could be dangerous," I commented off handedly. He stuck his tongue out at me and I returned the motion.

"Anyways, I was thinking that before we can head to the grand line, there's still one more position we need to fill." Nami looked up from her log book with a thoughtful smile on her face.

"You're right," she agreed. "The kitchen is really nice on this ship. Just…pay me and I'll do it!" I laughed at that as Zoro agreed from where he sat in front of the fridge on the floor that it would be vital for long trips. Luffy nodded.

"No decent pirate ship should be without one," he claimed. "A musician!"

"Ugh, are you an idiot?!" Zoro demanded to know. I laughed some more as the others berated Luffy's choice of priorities. He looked to me with a look wondering what he'd said wrong. I simply leaned back on my hands on the bench I was sitting on next to Nami.

"While I don't disagree we need a musician, I'm thinking we need a cook first," I stated. He gave me another look and I frowned amused. "Don't give me that; you know as well as I do that 'you' won't survive very long on just fruit and vegetables." He sighed in resignation.

"Okay fine," he said before brightening up. "But after the cook we definitely need a musician!" The others shook their heads at him in exasperation but couldn't help laughing at the moment either. The moment was ended however when we heard the sound of smashing wood outside.

"GET OUT HERE YOU DAMN PIRATES!" an angry male voice shouted. We all exchanged looks before Luffy got up and went over to open the door.

"Hey what the hell!" he exclaimed once he stepped outside. "Who are you?!"

"SHUT UP!" the man shouted back. I crept up to peek around my brother to see who was here. "WHO I AM MEANS NOTHING! YOU STINKIN' PIRATE!" He hollered and swung his sword down breaking a portion of the quarter deck's railing.

"Hey!" I shouted coming out now. "We just got this ship; show a little respect!" He turned to me now and aimed at me. I obviously dodged.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" he yelled. Jeez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. How'd he even get on our ship in the first place? I crept away from the ensuing fight – if it could even be called that – to look for some answers. I made it to the side of our ship and looked out into the water. I was surprised to see another man lying unconscious and looking worse for wear floating in a little boat beside the Merry.

"Over the years I've lost count of all the pirate heads we've taken," I heard the man talking to Luffy. "And now you guys think…YOU CAN KILL MY PARTNER!" he shouted and swung at Luffy again.

"Hey Luffy," I tried to get his attention but he had problems of his own.

"Whadya mean by partner?" Luffy wondered confused. "Look I don't know what this is…JUST STOP WRECKING MY SHIP!" My brother finished screaming as he threw the mysterious man into the cabin wall that was the storeroom and caused some more damage. I cocked an eyebrow.

"That's not exactly helping with the damage he's already caused ya know," I told my brother.

"Whatever," he replied looking annoyed at the guy. "Who is this guy anyway?" Luffy had remained bent over backwards from how he'd thrown the man with a confused look on his face as though he was trying to piece together a puzzle. Just then Zoro walked out from the galley and looked over what was left of the railing in surprise.

"Johnny," he said. "Tell me that isn't you." The man Luffy had felled groaned and looked up at Zoro.

"Huh? Who's sayin' my name like they think they know me or something?" he demanded. Once he managed to actually see Zoro however, he was sitting upright in an instant in surprise. "Oh, Big bro Zoro!" he exclaimed. By this point Luff had twisted himself around and continued looking at the scene in confusion.

"Johnny it is you," Zoro continued on in recognition.

"What're you doin' here big bro?!" demanded the now identified Johnny. Zoro ignored the question with a quirked eyebrow.

"Where's Yosaku, isn't he with you?" he asked of him. Luffy blinked still confused.

"What's going on? You guys know each other or something?" Zoro didn't glance at him but gave him an answer.

"You could say that," he stated simply. "So Johnny, where's Yosaku?" Johnny seemed to tense up all of a sudden.

"Is this him?" I asked, looking back down at the other man. "What the hell happened, he doesn't look so great." I glanced back at Johnny who was now quaking with emotion.

"Yeah, no thanks to you pirates!" he hissed before turning back to Zoro. "So what's the deal anyway? Why're you on a pirate ship; what's going on?" Zoro sighed as he made his way over to the stair case.

"That's a long story. First what's up with Yosaku?" Again Johnny froze up before tears began to spill from his eyes.

"Just…just come here," he said gesturing for Zoro to follow. Zoro, Johnny and Luffy all arrived beside me after I walked down the stairs to get closer, and I watched as Zoro's eyes widened upon recognizing his friend and seeing the condition he was in.

"The hell," he cursed as he looked upon the man with bloody bandages wrapped around his middle and a skin pallor that looked like death was close to claiming him.

"He's been sick," Johnny choked out. Luffy's own eyes widened.

"Woah, that looks bad," he pointed out the obvious. I elbowed him.

"C'mon let's bring im on board," I suggested. He nodded. Then with my careful instruction and some close supervision from Johnny we finally hauled his friend Yosaku aboard our ship's deck. Once we'd lain him down we stepped back to observe him. I came to a quick conclusion in my mind and turned to Usopp who was just coming down to join us.

"Hey, go get some limes from storage and bring them here," I told him. He paused for a brief moment before heading into the storage room. Nami meanwhile came down as well and shook her head at the sight of him.

"What is it?" Zoro wondered.

"Up until a few days ago he was healthy and full of life," Johnny explained to us trying to control his tears. "And now…he keeps fainting and getting really pale! I have no idea what's causing it! His teeth have been falling out and his old wound opened up and started bleeding! He just got worse and worse, I didn't know what to do! So I thought…maybe we'd rest on a little island but then…a cannonball came flying from this ship!"

Luffy's face morphed into one of horror and I heard a heavy crash as Usopp who'd been hurrying back with the limes I'd asked for, dropped the crate and mocked Luffy's expression. I was grateful the crate hadn't been damaged and made to pull it closer to me across the deck as Usopp remained frozen there.

Immediately they started bowing and apologizing guiltily while I grabbed a lime, sliced into it partway with my dagger then held it over Yosaku's mouth while Johnny continued sniveling over how sorry wouldn't be good enough and asked Zoro if Yosaku was gonna die. Meanwhile Nami picked up a lime of her own and used the dagger I offered her to slice this one too.

"Not if you idiots stop whining and help," she snapped at them in annoyance. This drew everyone's attention to what we were doing.

"Hey! What're you doing?!" Johnny demanded getting protective. He went to grab my hand away but I was quick to point my dagger at him and stare at him with an unreadable expression while I continued to squeeze lime juice into Yosaku's mouth.

"A lack of specific vitamins like vitamin C while on the ocean can lead to scurvy which can lead to death for any sailors on the high seas. When's the last time either of you actually had any fruits or vegetables to eat?" I asked simply. He gulped.

"Well, we prefer to eat meat and drink booze so…" Nami huffed in annoyance.

"Geez, how dumb can you idiots be?" she demanded. "If you're going to sail on the seas for any amount of time you should know about scurvy. It used to plague sailors back when they didn't know how to deal with it or store fresh fruits and vegetables on a ship for a long period of time. Nowadays we know better and we know how to properly store food so that's no longer a problem. Or at least it wouldn't be if you idiots had brains." I snickered at her choice in words. Meanwhile, Usopp had gotten down beside me with Luffy to help squeeze the juice from the limes into the guy's mouth. They almost ended up stuffing them inside too when they were done but I promptly stopped them. Then Luffy looked at me curiously.

"So Al, how'd you know this was scurvy?" he wondered. I smirked as I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh ya know…I actually paid attention to Gramp's lessons when we were younger and I didn't even need it beaten into my skull to begin with. This particular one I recall learning after he beat you and Ace to a pulp after chasing you halfway across the mountain." He shuddered at the memory and continued to squeeze juice.

"Huh, your guy's grandpa sounds strict," Usopp commented. We went still and turned to him with deadpanned expressions.

"You have no idea," we told him simply. Suddenly there was a cough and Yosaku sat up in between us looking surprised. The next thing we knew he was up and dancing with Johnny shouting hooray in a continuous loop.

"YOU CAN'T HEAL THAT QUICKLY!" Nami screamed at them in indignation. I thought for a second her teeth had become shark fangs. Huh, must've been my imagination. The two men suddenly stopped and took up cool guy poses.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," they spoke in unison.

"My name is Johnny!"

"And I'm Yosaku," the second one said.

"Together we're the badest pirate bounty hunting duo in the world!"

"Big bro Zoro over there used to be one of us," Yosaku stated. Zoro smiled and shook his head at them.

"You know some interesting people," I told him. He simply nodded.

"Glad to make your acquaintance." They finished together. Zoro walked forward.

"Small world," he commented. "Never thought I'd see you guys again."

"Well if you think you're surprised," Johnny started.

"We never imagined that the pirate hunter Zoro became a pirate himself." Yosaku finished. I believe Nami and I were the only ones currently paying attention to Yosaku's actual state of being. He didn't look so good anymore.

"Tell me about it," Zoro stated.

"Big bro," Johnny said, grasping Zoro's hand. Yosaku went to take his hand too but finally ran out the energy he'd gotten back and fell down again. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey…partner?" Johnny called worriedly. I laughed.

"You guys, he's gonna need more than just limes to get rid of scurvy," I said. Nami groaned beside me.

"I'm surrounded by complete morons," she muttered to herself. "C'mon let's lay him down somewhere inside." The boys exchanged looks before following after her.

"Right!" they proclaimed.

* * *

That night we sat around the table in the lounge area after having had something to eat for dinner. Nami was writing in her logbook again.

"Let this be a lesson to you," she warned.

"Yeah, this is the kind of trouble you run into when you choose a life on the sea," Zoro agreed. I nodded in agreeance.

"Which is why while we're at sea we've gotta figure out a way to get the right amount of nutrients with very little food," Usopp added nodding.

"It's absolutely necessary that someone on this ship knows how to do that," Nami pointed out. I nodded again while Luffy munched on bread beside me.

"Right so I guess that means our next crewmember on the list is definitely going to have to be the cook," I stated simply. Luffy's face lit up.

"Yeah right; we need a cook!" he proclaimed. "But not just any cook. The greatest cook ever!" Usopp smiled.

"I'm in!" he declared. "We'll have yummy food even while we're out at sea!" Luffy's grin split his face across, it was so wide.

"That's right, you got it!" he declared. I nodded.

"We also need a cook who's good a kicking ass and can keep Luffy away from the provisions otherwise he'll eat all there is on us. Also, you guys might wanna exercise your caution around your food in future. Once we do get a good cook, there'll be nothing stopping this idiot from swiping it off your plate." They looked surprised by my logic then sent glares at Luffy who just laughed.

"Right, let's get started!" he declared. Johnny who'd been standing off in the corner hummed in thought.

"A cook?" he asked. "I know just the place. And the food is gonna blow your mind." Luffy's eyes grew wider.

"Alright, let's go; where to?!" he demanded excitedly.

"Consider yourselves warned," Johnny stated. "This place is close to the Grand Line and I've heard a lot of rumors lately," He walked across the room until he stopped in front of Zoro, "That a certain hawk eyed man you're looking for is there." Zoro clutched his swords, a grin spreading across his face and a wild yet determined look in his eyes. I wondered what that could be about.

"Set a course…north northeast! Our destination is…the sea restaurant…Baratie!" he declared. We all cheered as we got to work setting the course.

Once we'd made it part of the way – it being like a two day trip – we dropped anchor to get some rest. As I settled down for the night I could hardly fall asleep because I was so excited. I couldn't help it. Soon, we'd be getting a cook. However, that wasn't the only thing on my mind as I glanced at the calendar in our shared room. A day was circled in red and I couldn't wait for it to arrive.

* * *

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL!" My brother yelled out boisterously and moved to tackle me into a squeezing death hug. I almost avoided being crushed but there are disadvantages when your brother can stretch his limbs out to grab you. Once he had me in his grasp he started dancing us around in a circle.

"Really? Today's your birthday?" Nami asked me. I couldn't answer as I was being squeezed.

"Luffy calm down. If you keep that up Al won't be alive much longer," Usopp reprimanded him. Luffy laughed as he dropped me.

"Sorry I'm just so excited," he proclaimed. I choked out trying to regain the air that'd been forcibly extricated from my lungs.

"Why, it's not even your birthday," Zoro pointed out. Luffy just grinned widely.

"No but it's so exciting. This is Al's first birthday at sea and that means that today she's officially allowed to join in and drink like a real pirate." He giggled excitedly and I stood back up again brushing myself off.

"Aside from that, ever since I told them what day my birthday was, Luffy and our two big brothers have had the tendency to make a bigger deal out of it than it actually is." Nami blinked as I sat down.

"Brothers? Huh, well whatever. What I wanna know is how old you're turning." She grinned at me and I sighed giving a sheepish smile and a shrug.

"Fifteen," I said.

"Fifteen huh. Well guess that means we should all celebrate today for all it's worth," Nami suggested.

"Hm, hm, yes and there's no better place to celebrate than at the most famous restaurant on the seas, the Baratie." I deadpanned as Johnny finished his spiel.

"Would you stop advertising it already? We know where we're headed, you told us this yesterday." I grumbled. Seriously, he was acting like it was the most important news ever. He hadn't shut up about the Baratie ever since he'd brought it up evidently trying to flaunt his knowledge to try and impress us. As of now the only ones who remain impressed are Luffy and possibly Usopp. Nami and Zoro on the other hand aren't as naïve. Meanwhile Johnny simply turned away from us with a mild pout on his face.

"Sheesh why ya gotta be so mean," he grumbled. I rolled my eyes at him and went over to grab some fruit from the fruit basket I'd hidden away from Luffy. Some relief seemed to flood into both Usopp's and Nami's faces as I tossed them some since they probably thought Luffy had eaten it all again. I expertly kept his hand away from the basket.

"No," I told him. "You've already head enough."

"What, I barely had anything," he complained. I glanced at him with a deadpanned expression.

"Oh really; then kindly explain where all the limes went after we treated Yosaku yesterday?" I demanded. He turned his head away, puckered his lips and tried to look innocent. It failed miserably as he said,

"I dunno."

"Jeez, he's a worse liar than you are," Nami commented towards Usopp. Usopp simply puffed out his chest.

"Well no one can be as amazing as I am when it comes to the art of weaving together fabrications of reality," he claimed. Nami hummed in thought.

"Hm, maybe," she said. "But you've got a terrible poker face when you're discovered," she told him. I laughed as he sputtered in indignation and Zoro smirked at the scene.

"Well it doesn't help that Luffy can't lie to save his life. So even when he does say stuff that sounds outlandish you know he's telling what he believes to be the truth because his expressions won't match what he's saying." I explain.

"Huh really?" wondered Luffy quizzically. I laughed and smiled at him.

"Yup," I clarify. Nami hummed.

"So remind me never to trust him with a secret in the future then" she mumbled.

"Actually you can do that," I told her. "He just won't say anything even if someone asks him. He'd sooner die than tell anyone someone else's secret." I noticed as Nami mentally put that information away for later thought. Suddenly we were all interrupted from our current conversation as Luffy's stomach growled. He sank to his knees groaning.

"Man, when are we gonna get to this restaurant," he whined. Johnny seemed to perk up at this and smirked.

"Well, judging by the timing that we set out at yesterday and the position of the sun now, we should be getting close." He stated whilst striking a smart guy pose.

"You have no idea do you?" I said causing him to break out into a sweat. Nami rolled her eyes at him and stood up.

"Well we won't know until we actually see something so let's go outside and wait til someone spots it." Everyone agreed and Luffy ran out first in excitement with us all following behind. A few hours later he was sulking about the ship wondering when we were gonna see it. Usopp and Nami took to telling him to be patient every time he became vocal about it or just super whiny and Zoro of course fell asleep. Johnny was pacing at the front of the ship and staring out over the horizon as if it might make the restaurant appear faster. Meanwhile I did simple exercises with my martial arts forms to warm myself up for the day.

By the time noon rolled around we heard an excited shout from Johnny at the front of the ship. He called for us to come and see for ourselves, and once in eyesight of what he was looking at, everyone grew excited again.

"Presenting the greatest sea restaurant in all the East Blue, The Baratie!" he proclaimed. Usopp and Luffy had drool hanging off of their wide open mouths and I was quite impressed myself.

"So what do you think?" Johnny asked smugly. Luffy laughed.

"Wow, it's a big fish!" he exclaimed. I started bouncing on the balls of my feet.

"Man oh man I can't wait!" I cried in excitement.

"How lovely," Nami commented.

"This is the coolest place ever!" shouted Usopp. Zoro simply smirked, impressed. Johnny's grin grew.

"Just like I told ya right?" he asked. I was about to tell him sarcastically how many times he'd actually told us when we were interrupted by the sound of bells and horns sounding nearby. A marine ship pulled up next to us, creaking as it pushed through the water.

"A marine ship; all the way out here?!" cried the startled voice of a now conscious Yosaku from the cabin door. Everyone else quieted down and we stared at the ship beside us that easily towered over our own.

"Hey, Luffy," Usopp asked my brother with a quaking voice. "They're not gonna start firing at us are they?" Meanwhile Zoro gave quite the disgusted look at the towering vessel.

"Ugh, it's just my luck! Of course the marines would show up!" he stated bitterly. I hung myself over the railing of the Merry as I stared at the ship curiously.

"I wonder who it is?" I spoke idly.

"But how did that ship…" Nami trailed off of her question and I sensed Johnny sneaking away to go hide with Yosaku. Wusses! A man with pink hair – darker than Coby's had been – and dark skin with a strip of iron wrapped across his knuckles on each hand and one scar going down his face, stepped up to the side of his ship to address us.

"I am Ironfist Fullybody," he declared. "But you can just call me Sir! You there; who's the captain? Identify yourself!" Immediately, always the truthful one, Luffy stepped forward beside me.

"My name is Luffy!" he declared. Usopp, shaking with nerves stepped up on my other side.

"My name is Usopp got it?!" he demanded. I gave him a questioning look he didn't notice. Meanwhile, Luffy frowned at him but kept going.

"We only made our flag the day before yesterday!" Luffy stated.

"That's right marine; and I drew it!" Usopp said proudly. Luffy gave him another annoyed look.

"Hn, you did? Is that so?" the marine replied with amusement clear in his voice. He then glanced sideways and noticed Johnny and Yosaku peeking their heads out from behind the doorway leading into the storeroom in the middle deck.

"Hey you two; right there!" he called out to them. "I've seen you before. You're that bounty hunter duo that goes after the small fish right?" Knowing that hiding anymore would be pointless, the two crept out a bit.

"Yeah well we…" Johnny tried to say through his fear.

"So you've finally been caught by pirates," Fullbody drawled. I'm really not liking this guy. Johnny tensed.

"Well actually we…" he tried again but Fullbody simply smiled mockingly at them and chuckled.

"Well that's a laugh," he stated. A woman wearing a fancy red dress stepped out from behind him and pulled teasingly on his arm.

"Hey c'mon baby let's get going," she suggested. He turned to her with a smirk and nodded.

"Sure," he said before they turned away and began heading away from us. Johnny seemed to get back some of his courage as the man was facing away from him. He reached into his coat and started to pull something out.

"Hey wait a minute!" he called after Fullbody. "You think small time bounty hunters would go after these guys!" After his demanding question, he threw the fliers on the ground and I glanced over to see who they'd been hunting. Some of them were crossed out but those guys had the lowest bounties. The one on the top of the pile drew my interest however.

Arlong, wanted for twenty million beris. I blinked in surprise. Since when had Arlong, the fishman pirate my grandfather had used to talk about in his great stories about Fisher Tiger and the Sun Pirates, made his way into East Blue waters? From what I'd heard, he had been the most untrusting of humans on the Sun Pirates' crew. Granted my Grandfather had only run into them once while on a voyage across the Grand Line, but it had been Arlong who had attacked his vessel head on with his crewmates wanting to spill human blood.

Fisher Tiger, the Sun Pirate's captain had stopped him and outright apologized to my grandfather. Even after he'd seen the mark my grandfather carried, he didn't run away. My grandfather had brushed it off stating his understanding of how they must feel considering how the World Government treated them. To make amends for the misunderstanding, grandpa had invited the Sun Pirates for a party. While at first most were reluctant to join in, he'd swayed them and the two crews of both vessels had had a glorious old time together. After that, they'd parted ways on good terms and he never saw them again as his old age began to catch up with him. Nevertheless, his memories of the occasion were happy ones.

But he had told me about how prejudice and discrimination against fishmen was overwhelming in most parts of the world. While most of the world had never even heard of or seen a fishman, the ones who had were either too terrified to do anything; too stuck up or ignorant to see them as people or just plain monsters to them. When painted as the victims it was easy to see why most fishmen would grow a deep hatred for humans. Grandpa had said that Arlong's hatred for humans ran very deep and that there might not be anything we could do to change that. However, he believed that Tiger was right about one thing. In order to make a brighter future for others, the past had to buried.

To see Arlong's bounty poster in the hands of an East Blue bounty hunting duo like Johnny and Yosaku made me wonder what business Arlong could possibly have in the East Blue to begin with. However, a flash of movement in the corner of my eye caused me to glance at Nami who was also looking at Arlong's poster…and had become slightly rigid. I wondered what that could be about.

"Ugh, he ignored us!" I heard Johnny state in annoyance. I turned back to watch as Fullbody walked away but caught him giving his marines a thumb's down hand sign. That could mean trouble. I was torn away again as Nami walked down to the lower deck to get a closer look at the posters. She knelt down, picking up Arlong's poster.

"Hm, what're these things?" she wondered though I knew she knew full well what they were. Johnny turned to her.

"Well those are all wanted pirates big sis Na…" he was cut off by his own choking sounds when he realized he had been about to call her big sis but she didn't like that. "In other words if we defeat them we get the reward money," he continued like he hadn't done anything. Yosaku walked up on his other side.

"Pretty lucrative business huh big sis," he said carelessly with Johnny slapping a hand over his partner's mouth. I watched as, as Nami continued staring at the face of Arlong, she started to tremble and I frowned as I could tell it wasn't from anger or annoyance at Yosaku's slip up. I tried to think why seeing Arlong's poster would cause her to react this way. However, I was pulled from my thoughts again when Usopp called for our attention.

"Hey you guys look," he proclaimed looking in terror at the marine ship. "They're pointing that cannon right at us!" I whipped my head back around towards the marine ship and sure enough no sooner had Usopp uttered his realization than we heard the cannon fire. Luffy was quick however.

"Leave it to me!" he cried out. "NOW GUM-GUM…" he shouted as he wrapped his legs around the railing and threw his arms out so his hands either land onto the figurehead or the mast. The cannonball flew fast, hitting him and stretching the rest of him out with it. I watched, catching onto his plan and grinned. However, no plan ever goes accordingly.

"SLINGHSHOT!" he completed the battle cry. Then his hand that was holding onto the Merry's figurehead slipped and we all watched as he was veered off course and instead of shooting the cannonball back at the marines, it went flying up then right through the far end of the roof of the Baratie before us and Luffy face planted into the back of Merry's head. I winced in slight sympathy as some of the air was knocked out of my brother and he was left wheezing for a few minutes.

"Well…that just happened," I stated. Nami came to stand beside me annoyed.

"Ugh, can't we go anywhere without him breaking something?" she asked. I gave her a look.

"It's Luffy," I reminded her. She sighed and shook her head. I noticed that she'd stuffed the bounty poster of Arlong into her skirt pocket for the time being. I frowned thinking to myself again. Something was definitely going on here.

I decided to address my concerns later however as some men wearing chef's uniforms rowed out to us and boarded our ship. They glared at all of us.

"Who here is the captain of this vessel?!" demanded one. I blinked in response. Before Usopp could embarrass himself again, I promptly stomped on his toes as he took a tentative step forward, causing him to howl out in pain. Meanwhile, Zoro, Nami and I were pointing at Luffy who was still stuck on the back of Merry's head.

Without any further questioning the chef's said they were borrowing our captain for a bit then dragged him off the boat and took him back towards the restaurant as he was still recovering. We watched after them without doing much.

"Shouldn't we tell them the marines were the ones that fired the cannon?" Nami questioned.

"We're pirates," Zoro reminded her. "Whose word you think they'll take over ours?"

"Besides, Luffy's the idiot who tried to redirect the thing," I said. "This is also partly his fault." Again Nami sighed. Then we settled in to wait for a bit. After about half an hour, Usopp frowned.

"What's taking Luffy so long?" Usopp wondered.

"Yeah," Nami whined. I shrugged.

"He's probably making his situation worse. He doesn't know how to keep his trap shut." I shook my head in exasperation at my brother's antics.

"They'll probably make him work without pay for like a whole month," Usopp said.

"Or two months," I supplied. Nami frowned.

"I still think that the marines should have to pay for this," she grumbled. I smirked.

"Oh they will," I told her. She glanced up at me curiously. "After all, Karma is always a bitch to those who openly ask for it." She smirked back and we turned back towards the restaurant waiting and listening to the sound of Johnny and Yosaku fixing the railing that Johnny had broken the other day in his rage.

Eventually we decided we'd just go over and see what the hell was keeping my idiotic brother. So we borrowed Johnny's and Yosaku's boat after dropping anchor while the two idiots were celebrating their job well done on fixing Merry's rail.

Once we reached the restaurant and were tying up our boat, we heard a loud crash come from inside the restaurant. I smirked as I let my bunny ears flop out and listened in on what was going on. I snickered.

"What, what's going on?" Usopp wondered. I turned to them grinning.

"Sounds like Mr. Full of It just got served," I commented. With that, Zoro walked forth and opened the doors to the restaurant. We walked into a scene that was quite interesting.

Mr. Full of It was being held up by the jaw by a man in a black suit over a destroyed table and smashed dinnerware. Blood and what looked like a soup was on the floor, the blood coming from several wounds on Mr. Full of It's face.

"Hmm, it's a fight," Zoro confirmed. The other dinner guests were shocked and speechless by what they were witnessing.

"Don't ever…waste food around me again," the man in the suit threatened darkly. He had a cigarette in his mouth as he glared down the pathetic marine. "At sea, if you ever provoke your cook, you're signing your own death warrant. Remember that."

Shivers ran up my spine from his words. This guy…sounds totally badass. Judging by the way Mr. Full of It's been treated, I'd say he's the one that delivered the blows. He seemed promising. I wonder if he's a cook.

My ponderings were interrupted as I could hear a man's voice starting to draw closer to the dining area from a door off to the side.

"Yes the customer is al…" he paused taking in the scene, "OH NO: OUR CUSTOMER!" the man with rather large arms declared with clear distress in his tone along with anger and annoyance. He walked towards the man in the black suit.

"Damn it, not again Sanji! What do you think you're doing to our costumer? Can't you see he's a marine lieutenant?!" the man demanded angrily. The man in the suit that had been referred to as Sanji turned towards the other man undeterred from his current situation.

"You're a terrible cook," he insulted the man outright. "What makes you think you can talk to me like that?"

"Urgh, a crappy cook like you is calling me bad?" the other man demanded haughtily. "Restaurants can't exist without their customers. They're our lifeblood so we don't wanna hurt them the way you seem to keep doing." The man known as Sanji simply turned his hard gaze back onto the man he was holding up.

"But he deserved it," he said plainly. He wasn't even defending himself just stating what he knew. "He didn't treat the food or me with respect and he insulted all the cooks!" He allowed Mr. Full of It's body to fall and crumple to the ground.

"So I simply taught him a lesson," he finished. A few seconds went by and Mr. Full of It began to tremble with rage. I couldn't see from here but I could surmise he was also embarrassed if his red cheeks were anything to go off of. No I'm not talking about the blood from his head wound.

"Ugh, you're gonna regret this," he seethed. "All of you! No restaurant should treat its customer's like this. I'll shut you down, do you understand me?! I will shut you down; this entire place! This whole restaurant is finished. Do you hear me?!" I snickered.

"Sounds like Mr. Full Baby's in need of his bottle," I sniggered behind my hand. I heard Nami snicker too and Zoro smirked at my jab. Yeah, I think Mr. Full Baby's a better nickname. It's way more appropriate. I watched as the man known as Sanji developed a rather dark look as he glared down at the bloodied marine at his feet.

"Then maybe I should just finish you off now," he suggested. The marine looked up at the cook with a look of fear as Sanji made a move towards the crybaby. However, he was stopped short by some of the other chefs.

"Sous Chef Sanji, stop it!" one shouted. Though they were doing their best, I could tell they really had to hold him back.

"Arrogant assholes like you who think they're such bigshots they can push anybody around really piss me off!" He continued to reach for the downed Lieutenant who sat there with a terrified dumbstruck look on his face. The other chefs were literally giving it their all to restrain the guy.

"You're not such a big shot now are ya; are ya?!" demanded the man named Sanji and I could see the crybaby was literally close to losing his composure and crying about his recent humiliation.

"Sheesh, this guy's kind of insane," Usopp commented idly. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Meh, Luffy does it all the time. I mean he punched Helm-Hippo back in Shell's Town so here's a warning, never get on his bad side. Also consider getting used to it; you'll be sailing with him for a while." I sent a smirk and a look at Usopp whom I could tell was visibly sweating.

Suddenly everything was halted – except for Sanji trying to attack the marine – as two people fell through the ceiling of the dining area, one wearing a chef's uniform and the other a straw hat. Zoro smirked.

"Speak of the devil," he said. I laughed at the perfect timing. I wonder if Luffy would consider this Sanji guy as our cook. He's definitely badass enough and if he's the Sous Chef that would mean he co runs the joint. That would be a double bonus. The man with the long braided moustache sat up first holding his forehead with a scowl on his face. Luffy sat up and sucked some much needed air into his lungs.

"Ah, I can breathe again," he claimed.

"Boss Zeff what's happening here," demanded one of the cooks that'd been trying to restrain Sanji. "You didn't hurt yourself did you?!"

"Damn it," the man spoke up then glanced up at the hole above him. "My ceiling; another thing that's gonna have to get fixed because of you!" Then he got right into Luffy's face. "This is all your fault you brat!"

"How is it my fault, you attacked me!" Luffy shouted back. They continued to growl at one another angrily and I rolled my eyes. My brother can be so stubborn sometimes.

"Boss!" called out one of the chefs' still trying to restrain Sanji. "Can you stop messing around and give us a hand?! Sanji's gone crazy again!" Luffy and the man turned towards the scene of Sanji attempting to pummel the marine officer.

"Hey Sanji!" barked the head chef. The old man got up and approached the sous chef with a scowl on his face. "Don't tell me you went on another rampage in here you idiot!" The struggling stopped as Sanji straightened up and addressed his boss.

"Put a cork in it old man!" he snapped.

"Oh, now you're ordering me around?! Just who do you think you're talking to!" snapped the owner. "Do you wanna sink my restaurant to the bottom of the sea?! You punk!" He swiftly kicked Sanji across his face with his pegged leg – which is totally cool by the way – and Sanji was sent careening sideways. Mr. Full Baby smirked and seemed to look pleased as the man who'd beaten him up was being beaten by the owner. However, the owner wasn't done. He turned a menacing glare on the marine.

"And you too!" he declared, confusing the marine. "Get outta my restaurant!" He promptly kicked him across his face as well, sending him into the floor with a grunt of pain. He tried to push himself up again but the owner was no longer looking at him. He glared at the cooks and owner in disbelief. It really was sad to see him like this. It would be all too easy to put him out of his misery.

Meanwhile, the man who'd confronted Sanji first, the owner and Sanji himself were arguing.

"How can you deny our motto that the customer is king!?" demanded the beefy man. Sanji glared back at him.

"The only kingly customers are the ones who stomach the slop that you call food!"

"That's it! If you two wanna fight you'll keep it in the kitchen understand me?!" the owner demanded. Mr. Full Baby pushed himself up more, staring at the scene as if he were looking at a three headed dragon.

My ears perked up as I heard heavy footsteps and labored breathing. I stood aside as did the others as a marine came stumbling up to the door.

"Lieu…Lieutenant Fullbody! We've…we've got trouble!" the marine panted. I ignored my brother's comment that this restaurant was crazy and paid attention to the footsteps drawing closer to the marine. Whoever these footsteps belonged to…he sounded close to death. I reached out further with my senses, eyes widening. No, scratch that, he feels close to death. He's hanging on by a mere few threads.

"Sir, he's escaped! Pirate Krieg's henchman attacked us and he's vanished!" Mr. Full Baby's eyes widened.

"What?!" he demanded. I'll bet he didn't think this day could get any worse. The marine at the door trembled.

"Well sir, we've already lost seven of our men and the only thing we wanted out of him was a lead on finding Krieg!" Mr. Full Baby's eyes narrowed.

"Impossible!" he declared. "When we picked him up three days ago he was right on the verge of starving to death and we haven't fed him anything! Where'd he get the strength?!"

This immediately started murmurings and whisperings about the restaurant from the patrons. Luffy looked curious as he glanced about trying to absorb the information. I sensed Usopp shaking next to me.

"Y-y-you d-don't think h-he'll c-come in h-here, do you?" he asked in a quivering voice. Nami looked uncertain.

"Yup," I said simply. Zoro raised an eyebrow at me.

"How can you tell?" he asked.

"Because he's already here," I stated just a gunshot rang out and the marine fell forward. Many of the patrons not used to such scenes of gore rushed screaming or talking scared towards the back of the restaurant. Some tried to stay close however wanting to see a show yet not wanting to be at the mercy of the man with the gun. I simply blinked and scratched at the back of my human ears in annoyance. The ringing of gunfire was annoying especially with my sensitive hearing. Meanwhile everyone was looking towards the front doors of the restaurant.

The man began to walk forward. It had been him I'd felt earlier. The one close to death. I could tell he wasn't at full strength and most of what was keeping him standing was willpower and a desire to live.

"It would seem we have a new customer sir," mumbled the one who'd been going on about customer's being kings and yada, yada.

"He'd do well to mind his manners and not start any trouble on my ship," grumbled the head chef. Luffy had stood up looking interested in what was going on.

"A pirate huh?" he wondered. As the man dragged himself across the room, he passed Mr. Full Baby who turned away in fear. The man ignored him and continued walking until he reached a table; his last steps being quickened as if he would collapse at any given moment. He seated himself and stuck one leg up putting one foot on the table. He hummed to himself before speaking.

"I don't care what it is just bring me something to eat," he said in a low menacing yet weak voice. He leaned back in his chair looking about as intimidating as he could manage. "Come on, this is a restaurant." He finished in a mocking manner. The man who'd been berating Sanji earlier walked forward with a large beaming and falsely sincere smile with his hands folded.

"Hello and welcome you damned crook," the chef greeted causing some of the room to gasp. The man didn't look pleased with the welcome.

"I'm just gonna say this one more time," he spoke threateningly. "Bring me something to eat and make it quick!" The man kept up his false cheeriness as he supposedly continued to do his job. Meanwhile the marine on the floor muttered about the man getting everyone killed

"Of course, right away," he said. "But might I be so bold to inquire how you're paying for your meal?" The man at the table looked up at him with an annoyed countenance and raised the gun he'd used earlier and aimed it a his head.

"Will a bullet be enough?" glowered the man. Immediately the one waiting on him lost his smile.

"So you don't have any money then," he clarified. No sooner had he done that than he raised his arms into the air and then brought his fists crashing down onto the man's head, knocking him down and smashing the chair under him to pieces. Everyone was surprised except for the chefs and the boss who just looked annoyed.

"Grr, that dumbass Patty broke another chair," he grumbled.

"Woah, what power," Luffy muttered. I could tell he was analyzing him. Quite honestly I didn't like the idea of sailing with this man. The man who'd knocked down the other one just glared at him.

"Sorry pirate but our policy is to only serve paying customers!" he declared. This earned cheers from the patrons that stuck around and from the cooks who encouraged their fellow worker to proceed with the ass whooping. I watched as the man who was now on his knees clutched at his stomach as it gurgled.

"Aw, I can hear your stomach grumbling from here pirate!" taunted the man I think was called Patty now that I think of it. The man on the floor glared up at him.

"That was a fart you jerk. Now listen; get me something to eat now!" he hissed in pain.

"We're not getting you anything so beat it!" shouted the man I think is called Patty. He's really annoying. I hope Luffy doesn't try and pick him to be our cook. As more cheers erupted from around the room even some coming from Usopp – I rolled my eyes at him – I noticed that the one known as Sanji simply turned around and headed towards the staircase leading to the upper level. He calmly walked upstairs and as he did so he caught Luffy's attention to.

Curious, I left the sounds of Patty beating up the pirate behind as I ascended the steps in bunny form so as to remain inconspicuous. I mean who would notice a little bunny right? Anyhoo, as I arrived, I peeked into the door that led to the kitchen and watched in amazement as Sanji started to cook a dish.

"What're you doing up here?" asked a gruff voice behind me. I wasn't startled. I'd heard him come up behind me.

"Watching," I said simply. "He's making food for that pirate isn't he?" I heard the man behind me sigh.

"Yes, that he is," he muttered as he watched with me. Then he turned away and leaned against the wall.

"You don't seem surprised I'm a bunny and talking to you," I told him. He laughed curtly.

"Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about this world," he admitted. "Devil fruit powers aren't as strange to me as you'd think."

"Oh," I replied simply. "So…about my older brother."

"Hm?" he asked as I turned around to face him.

"What's the verdict? Does he have to work for a month or something like that?" I wondered. I watched as he mentally put two and two together. He sighed then laughed.

"With the damage he caused…I told him I'd make him work here unpaid for a year. He thinks he can convince me to let him off the hook in a week." I snorted and laughed.

"Really?" I asked. "Well, I think you'd be surprised," I told him. He cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

"Oh, you think he can?" he asked. I just shrugged my shoulders as I walked around him going back into my human state.

"How should I know," I said. "I just know that my brother always keeps his promises no matter what. I know he might seem like an idiot but he's really actually a great guy once you get to know him." I walked towards the stairs and glanced back with a smirk.

"Plus, I don't think hiring him for a year is such a good idea anyways," I mentioned.

"Oh, why not?" he asked now curious. I turned away laughing again as I started to descend the steps once more.

"Because I doubt your restaurant would survive that long if that was the case. You'd lose more money than you'd make!" With that, I left him to ponder over his decision. Meanwhile, I was mentally cursing my brother for his ability to get us into situations like this. Sometimes he was really annoying.

* * *

I kicked my feet under my seat happily and hummed as I downed another morsel. I giggled.

"Now this is a birthday feast," I exclaimed. "Thanks Nami!" Nami simply giggled.

"Glad you're enjoying it Allen. It's not every day you turn fifteen after all is it?" I shook my head and downed some more food. True I was eating sloppily and not at all ladylike but hey, good food's good.

"Hm, we should order something special to drink," Zoro suggested. "You did say today you could start drinking like a real pirate." His grin gave him away. I deadpanned at him then smirked.

"Are you just saying that because you wanna see me choke on the taste of alcohol or do you just want your own booze?" I asked teasingly. He shrugged with his grin still on his face only wider.

"Both," he admitted. I rolled my eyes at him. Suddenly Usopp nudged me smirking.

"Hey, looks like you were right, Luffy's been kicked out of the kitchen," he snickered. We all glanced up and sure enough Luffy was making his way down. I giggled. I had told them he'd probably be kicked out of the kitchen within an hour of his employment and I'd been correct. Idly I wondered how many things he'd broken and what kind of mess he'd caused. I'd tried to warn that old man but I guess he had to learn this way.

"Oh chore boy," Nami called out, a wide grin on her face. Luffy glanced down at us and I nearly lost it at his expression once he saw us sitting down here.

"Ah, what're you doing?!" he demanded indignantly. Usopp sniggered as he answered.

"We heard you had to work here for a whole year," he said. Zoro laughed too.

"Is it okay if we redraw the flag for our ship?" he teased. That wasn't what got to Luffy though. One look at our table and his eyes were as big as saucers and looking like they'd been betrayed.

"Uh, you're eating all of this delicious food without me?!" he exclaimed as he ran down to stand in front of our table. "What kind of crew are you; how could you do this to me?!" I laughed.

"Hold on," Zoro said as though contemplating something. Then his face cracked into a wide grin as he turned to the rest of us. "I think that's our business isn't that right?" He started laughing and Nami, Usopp and I were doing our best to hold in our own snickers. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Luffy picking his nose and then he put the booger into Zoro's water. I nearly lost it again.

"Oh boy," Usopp said beside me. "This is going to be so good." I sniggered as well and so did Nami. Then Zoro turned back towards Luffy more calmed down.

"You know, I have to say the food here is really quite delicious, good stuff," he said as he reached for his water. I was trying and failing miserably to control my giggles but if Zoro noticed he didn't pay it any attention.

"Yes it is. I'd feel bad for you but…you should be drinking this yourself!" he declared as he force the tainted water down Luffy's own throat. That was it, I folded. The rest of us three lost it completely and started laughing as Luffy was forced to drink his own booger. He fell to the floor gagging on it and thrashing about like a kid that had had too much sugar.

"I can't believe you did that!" he cried out. Zoro grinned ferally down at our captain.

"Yeah well I can't believe you did that," he retorted. Luffy just continued thrashing about on the floor claiming how disgusting and nasty his experience had been.

"Yeah well now we know how bad you taste so if we ever had to resort to cannibalism you're off the list," I laughed. Usopp fell out of his chair after that remark and Nami was hitting the table with her hand unable to stop laughing. This went on for a little while more until the necessity for air became known and we had to calm ourselves down. The next thing we knew, a rose was being presented to Nami.

"Oh dear ocean, thank you for this treasure you have shared from your depths," said the voice of none other than Sanji. He was down on one knee at our table and holding a rose out towards Nami while he made a spectacle of himself shamelessly in front of us and the other patrons. I quirked an eyebrow. This could be a problem.

"Huh?" Nami wondered perplexed. She didn't know how to respond.

"Ah yes my love. I can't bear this hardship of loving you from afar. It is too difficult. I am now prepared to sail to the ends of the earth as a pirate if it means someone of your rare beauty will be by my side." I noticed Luffy's awkward look to the side and Zoro's really annoyed one. Sanji stood up suddenly and spun about to the other side of Nami where I was and was in the process of kneeling down before me as well.

"And how could I forget such a lovely gem as you my darling?" he asked. "Why I'd be simply daft to overlook your beauteous presence here; a gift from heaven above I'm sure. So I would gladly sail the seas with you two by my side to conquer my lonely heart beating so profoundly in this chest of mine. I offer this," he held up another rose, "a beautiful token from the bottom of my…Mmf!"

He was abruptly cut off from continuing and getting closer as I planted a foot in his face. The rose's thorns got stuck to his face as well and I kept my foot firmly planted. The scene he'd been making – which many had been watching – ended and I stared at him with a deadpanned expression.

"No," I said simply before pushing him back and letting him fall to the ground. Everyone was quiet wondering what was going to happen. Luffy was trying to suppress his giggles and Zoro continued staring at him with disgust. To my annoyance, he simply sprung up again and kept going.

"Alas, your heart has rejected my own," he spewed. "But know this, even rejected it will still beat for your glorious beauty and I would still gladly sail the seas as a pirate if it meant spending precious moments by either of your sides. Oh but how tragic, a great obstacle blocks our way!" I cocked an eyebrow at him. Nami and I exchanged looks before turning back to the annoying love struck cook.

"And that great obstacle would be me right; Sanji?" demanded a voice from behind him. I witnessed the quickest change from shameless love struck idiot back to hardcore badass cook with an attitude in an instant as he grumbled about the 'old geezer' standing behind him. Meanwhile, the owner, Chef Zeff as I'd learned was his name, leaned up against an empty table near our own behind Sanji.

"This is an opportunity you don't want to pass up. Why not join them and become a pirate?" he questioned. I looked to him curiously as Sanji turned around, trembling in anger. Zeff's eyes narrowed at his sous chef.

"I have no need to keep you here in my restaurant," he said simply. Despite the gruffness to his voice I could tell there was something more behind those words than just a blunt order. Sanji still trembled in agitation but quickly collected himself.

"Hey listen pal," he bit back. "I'm the sous chef in this place. Whadya mean ya don't need me anymore?" he demanded with a dangerous tone underlying.

"You fight with customers all the time; you flirt with every woman under eighty who walks through here. You can't even cook a decent meal. You're worth less to me than the chum after brunch; that's what I mean." Zeff clarified.

"So uh…" Sanji left his question hanging as if daring him to repeat himself. His head turned up towards the stairs where at the top some of the other chefs were snickering at the scene before them. Hey shouldn't they be cooking?

"Oh and let's not forget about how the other cooks avoid you like you were poison. So just run off and be a pirate or whatever but get out of this restaurant." Again Sanji was trembling after the words spoken.

"That's how it is?" he asked dangerously. "You shoot off at the mouth and expect that I'm just going to take it old man?" He started walking up to Zeff angrily.

"I can blow off everything you said but I won't listen to anyone trash my cooking! I'm staying here as a sous chef and that's final. You hear me!" he demanded as he grabbed a hold of the old man's collar. I tilted my head in confusion.

"Huh, I thought it was the boss who made that decision," I commented. I noticed the tic mark that developed over Zeff's eye.

"What do you think you're doing grabbing your boss by the collar?!" demanded Zeff. He then grabbed Sanji's collar in turn after smacking his hands away from his own and threw him.

"You ingrate!" he shouted as Sanji went flying. The sous chef was thrown directly at our table. Luckily we all had good reflexes and the table's leg was the only thing that was broken. He groaned as he slid down to the ground, grumbling out the word 'geezer' with annoyance. Then he sat up and glared back at the old man.

"Enough with the games," he glowered. "You can try to kick me out but I'm here to stay. I'm not goin' anywhere old man. Not until you're dead and gone!" Zeff was already walking away.

"Dead," he scoffed. "I've got another hundred years of kicking your ass left in me." He ascended the stairs next and Luffy knelt down beside him with a big smile on his face.

"See?" he said. "He said it's cool. Now you can become a pirate!" he exclaimed. I cocked an eyebrow.

"So you've already picked a cook?" I asked as Luffy stood up after Sanji yelled at him. Luffy grinned at me.

"Yup, now I just have to work off my debt in a week and we'll be good to go!" he declared. Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were here for a year," he said. Luffy stuck his tongue out.

"No. I'm gonna get him to let me off the hook in a week; I've already decided," he stated. I smirked.

"Right, so how many things have you broken already?" I asked. He blinked then came to a sudden realization.

"Aw man, I forgot to keep count!" he cried out. I laughed but was brought back to earth as I heard the clunk of wood on wood. I turned to see that Sanji had repaired the leg on our table and had placed it back firmly onto the ground.

"My apologies," he said in his womanizer's voice again. I rolled my eyes and idly wondered where he'd gotten the fruit cocktail from for Nami. Oh well at least he wasn't doing the same crap with me…at least that's what I hoped.

"Oh how kind," Nami proclaimed in delight after he'd introduced the drink. "It looks wonderful." Usopp suddenly got annoyed and started demanding an apology for the rest of us but Sanji only offered him and Zoro tea. Zoro didn't care and started drinking his but Usopp thought it was unfair of him and proceeded to try and have Zoro fight him in his place to teach him a lesson. Of course Zoro said no and I giggled at his flabbergasted face.

Next Nami begged them not to fight over her then proceeded to play Sanji like a violin. She managed to get her meal for free. She also whispered into his ear somewhat conspiratorially at one point which kind of made me suspicious. Anyhoo, after he departed – dragging Luffy with him to get back to work – Usopp turned to me looking somewhat like a pouting seven year old.

"Hey Allen?" he asked.

"What?" I replied. He sniffled pathetically.

"Is he really gonna be our cook? I don't like him." I just shrugged.

"In the end, it's the captain's decision," I told him. Nami quirked her eyebrow.

"Yeah but up until this point you and Luffy have seemed to agree on who should join," she pointed out. Again I shrugged.

"That's because we agreed at the time. But again, it's not my decision. I agree he's an eccentric character but there has to be something great about him if he's caught Luffy's eye. Just leave it to Luffy; he can actually be a good judge of character when he wants to be." The crew exchanged looks then shrugged with Usopp whining about gender inequality.

It wasn't long before Sanji had returned to our table with a special confectionary treat for moi and a bottle of sake which he said was requested by Nami. I had given Nami an odd look and she'd wished me a happy birthday. Sanji tried to do some more flirting with the both of us but another foot to his face sent him on his way back the kitchen after he'd picked himself up off the floor.

I ordered two more bottles of sake for both Zoro and Usopp along with Johnny and Yosaku who eventually came in to see what was taking us so long. Nami even managed to convince Sanji to let Luffy join us. Together we toasted and then drank down the liquor.

That night, somehow we managed to convince some of the other chefs to join us after closing time and we had a small little party and drank some of the stores of booze from the Merry we'd gotten from Merry and Kaya. We even had the stuff that Gaimon had given us before we'd left his island, him claiming he'd brewed it himself. We danced and sang until finally it was time for the chefs to retreat otherwise they'd get the wrath of Zeff's peg leg for keeping up all night.

Our little crew moved the party onto our own ship and after some more time partying, we finally passed out. Best…birthday…ever!


End file.
